Fran Cornwell, of Porlock Lane, Furzton, was among 14 members of an organisation called Speak who have been cleared of refusing to obey police orders during a protest against the construction of an animal research laboratory at Oxford University.
"It was a stitch-up," she told the Citizen: "We never wanted a fight with the police.

"We were there about vivisection. The whole focus of the campaign is to stop this lab being built in Oxford.

"We are not there to hurt anybody we just want people to know about the lab.

"We were not there to intimidate people or stop people doing what they have the right to do. We just wanted to inform people."

District Judge Deborah Wright found police had acted unlawfully in trying to break-up the demonstration outside the Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street, in Oxford, during the Encaenia honorary awards day ceremony on June 21 last year.

The area was packed with dignitarities and it was suggested in court the demonstration caused embarrassment to the university.

However, Ms Cornwell, aged 59, was given an absolute discharge after she was found guilty of kicking a police officer in the shins when she was being arrested.

Summing up the judge said: "I do not find that noise from the protestors, at the point at which the decision to make the orders were given, was of such a level that it could have amounted to a serious disruption to people working nearby nor was there anything to suggest it would escalate."

During the four-week case it was revealed that a policeman had accidentally taped unguarded conversations between officers.

Pc Colin Travi referred to the protestors as c***s and during another conversation he said: "The problem protestors do not realise how powerful the university is.

"It is a sleeping giant. It has got masons, it has got influence with MPs, masons and barristers. There is a lot of people that have been educated here. They have still got an affliation to it as well as the DTI and the Home Office."

Another officer Pc Andy Bignall was recorded saying: "We knew we were going to take bodies today."

And Supt Chris Shead said: "Now we have to prosecute the s*** out
of them."

Deputy Chief Constable Alex Marshall described the comments as "regrettable".

He said: "The comments caught on the recording and provided to the court as part of this trial are very disappointing.

"I expect professionalism from my officers at all times and those involved have been advised accordingly."