Greg Avery

Greg Avery (born 1963) is a British animal rights activist. He is chiefly known as a founding member of several influential animal rights campaigns – focusing on opposition to the animal testing industry – that have dramatically altered the nature of the animal rights movement in the UK. His latest involvement is with Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), an international campaign to force the closure of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), an animal-testing company based in the UK and US. The Guardian describes Avery as the "de facto leader" of SHAC.

Avery is currently serving a nine-year jail sentence after his 2008 conviction on charges of conspiracy to blackmail in connection with the SHAC campaign. Avery and six other activists convicted with him, including his second wife Natasha Dellemagne and his first wife Heather Nicholson, are alleged by police to be key figures within the Animal Liberation Front.

Avery was born and raised near Buxton in Derbyshire, one of six brothers. Like his mother, he trained as a tailor. He joined the animal rights movement at the age of 15, and has devoted himself to it full-time ever since.

Avery has been married to Natasha Constance Dellemagne, also an animal rights activist, since 2002. His first wife, Heather Nicholson (formerly Heather James) was active with Avery in founding a number of prominent animal rights campaigns. Avery, Dellemagne (now known as Natasha Avery) and Nicholson remain friends and continue to work together within the movement. In 2004 the three were reported to be living together in a cottage provided by a wealthy supporter, Virginia Jane Steele.

Avery has been a founding member of some of the most prominent and successful animal rights groups and campaigns in the UK. These include the Northern Animal Liberation League, the Consort beagle campaign,Save the Hill Grove Cats, and most recently SHAC.

...
Wikipedia