Defence seeks to use Horse Mafia photos in feeding trial

Defence lawyer Lasse Hummelhof Frandsen wants to use photographs taken by members of the self-described Horse Mafia in a case involving eight people accused of illegally feeding animals at Molslaboratoriet in Mols Bjerge, DR reports.

Randers District Court must decide whether the images can be admitted before the long-awaited trial can begin. The case has sparked intense debate for several years and has even led to physical confrontations.

At the centre of the case is Molslaboratoriet’s practice of keeping animals for nature management without routinely feeding them. The eight defendants are accused of feeding the horses and cattle 27 times between 2023 and 2025.

Frandsen argued that photographs including those taken by local photographer Per Øxenholt should be admitted as evidence in the defence of two of his clients.

“The court needs a complete picture of what these animals looked like, and whether, in that light, it was justified to feed them,” he said.

The prosecution for East Jutland Police has objected to the photographs. Senior prosecutor Laura Simoni Pedersen said the images were unnecessary because it was impossible to establish when or where they had been taken.

“We do not know when they were taken or where they come from. That is known about the authorities’ material,” she said.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, which supervised Molslaboratoriet, documented the incidents, according to the prosecution.

Øxenholt has said he spent years documenting the condition of the animals at Molslaboratoriet and has identified himself as part of the “Horse Mafia”.

Frandsen intends to argue that his two clients are innocent because they complied with the Animal Welfare Act by feeding the animals.

“My view is that if you see an animal that is not getting enough food, you must feed it,” he said.

He argues that the Animal Welfare Act should take precedence over the provisions of the Nature Protection Act under which his clients have been charged.

“If you have to choose which law to comply with, I believe you should feed the animals, and signs are just signs,” Frandsen said.

Randers District Court will announce on September 28 whether the defence witnesses and photographs can be used. The trial, which was due to start, has been postponed indefinitely.