How annoying and disappointing that the Evening Press has been featuring the plight of Barry Horne and his hunger strike.

While I do not want to comment on his animal rights opinions, I feel he should not be using up valuable hospital and police resources.

When Mr Horne first decided to go on hunger strike the Press covered the story in detail, giving him the publicity he sought. But when he decided to do the same again, and this time with no obvious reason, I feel you should have left him to it and not given him the coverage.

Unfortunately, the hospital cannot leave Mr Horne to his own devices - despite the fact that he is taking up a valuable bed, as well as the time of our nurses and doctors who could be treating more deserving cases.

Along with this is the cost of treating Mr Horne. Now I read he has had to have a blood transfusion; where is it all going to end?

I think it is, for Mr Horne, the better of two evils. Either he has to spend time in prison, a place he got himself into, or go on hunger strike and be admitted to hospital.

Once he had realised what hospital was like, he went on hunger strike again and was re-admitted only to spend the time being guarded by two policemen 24 hours a day, therefore adding the cost to the police force.

I am sure I am not the only one who feels like this, especially knowing how stretched our services are. I think the only people benefiting from this situation are the prison staff who don't have to tolerate Mr Horne and his ludicrous attitude.

I hope someone reads this to him and maybe he will realise he could be costing someone their life by using doctors and nurses. A life which is obviously more valuable to them than his is to him.

Sylvia Dunn,

Address supplied.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.