The violence that Jaine Wild experienced at the Crawley and Horsham Hunt from the county chairman of the Countryside Alliance, Jamie Hawksfield (The Argus, April 15) is quite typical of the violence that hunt protesters have to risk throughout the hunting season.

So is the sentence meted out to him - a caution.

As a peaceful protester against this hunt over many years, I too have been assaulted - and while standing next to a police officer.

The man concerned was allowed to continue hunting and it was only my determination which led to him being cautioned too.

This season a woman in her 60s was ridden down and had her shoulder broken while standing on the road. Simon Wild was also ridden down and suffered nasty injuries, yet no action will be taken as there were no "independent witnesses".

This gives the hunting fraternity carte blanche to attack us as the chances of "independent witnesses" in a quiet country area are very remote.

Yet hunt protesters and saboteurs have been arrested and kept in custody for several hours for trespassing on a piece of land and if we were to be found guilty of an assault we would be given much greater sentences.

It is quite clear that when it comes to hunting our laws are anything but just.

-Sue Baumgardt, Hove