An elementary school teacher who was fired after she was allegedly caught punching and kicking a horse has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty.
Last month, 37-year-old Sarah Moulds was dismissed from her position at the Mowbray Education Trust in Leicestershire, England, after footage shared of the incident online sparked outrage, per Sky News.
In the video, a woman could be seen repeatedly striking the creature when it ran into a road. The incident took place following a meet on November 6, 2021, in an area in the countryside known as The Drift in Gunby, Lincolnshire.
When a group of anti-hunting activists, known as the Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs, posted the footage on Twitter, the RSPCA, an animal welfare charity in the UK, launched an investigation into the incident.
The post gained even more traction when it was retweeted by comedian and animal lover Ricky Gervais.
The mom-of-two is now being prosecuted by the RSPCA - but not by the UK's police or Crown Prosecution Service.
Per BBC News, the organization said at the time the video was shared online that they would "look into complaints made about animal welfare."
As reported by The Mirror, a spokesperson for the charity said: "We understand there is a lot of interest in this incident and we would like to reassure people we will always look into complaints made about animal welfare.
"However, we are unable to discuss complaints about specific people and what action may have been taken."
"We understand how frustrating that is for animal lovers but releasing the information could prejudice a future prosecution," the spokesperson added.
Addressing the decision to dismiss the teacher, Mowbray Education Trust Chief Operating Officer Paul Maddox said per BBC News: "I can confirm that Sarah Moulds' employment with the Trust has been terminated.
"As a Trust we are committed to ensuring the best standard of education for all of our young people and we look forward to continuing this throughout the 2021/22 academic year and beyond."
Moulds is set to appear at Boston Magistrates court next week to face two offenses under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
