Occasionally the media run stories of animal rights protestors who've broken into a farm or abattoir and filmed evidence of animals being abused / mistreated.
The videos often appear to be shot late at night by balaclava-clad activists who presumably are either trespassing (best case scenario) or (more seriously) have broken in.
Can this video evidence be used in court? Police are limited to evidence gathered lawfully, but does this apply to evidence gathered by a 3rd party? If the evidence is gathered by activists who criminally break into a property and then pass the evidence (anonymously) to a more reputable organisation - for example the RSPCA - could the RSPCA then use the video as evidence in a court?
On the other side of the coin, if the activist was foolish enough not to be wearing a balaclava, could the police use the video as evidence for prosecuting the activists?
