ANIMAL rights hunger striker Barry Horne was back in Full Sutton jail today after 18 controversial days at York District Hospital.

Protesters carry on their vigil at Full Sutton jail today

Doctors and managers at York Health Trust said they decided on last night's transfer back to the top-security jail near Stamford Bridge on the grounds that:

Horne could not be treated at the hospital because he had refused his permission;

Horne no longer required hospital accommodation and could now be equally well cared for in Full Sutton's medical centre;

The hospital was being seriously disrupted and anxiety levels among patients, staff and visitors had reached unacceptable levels.

Trust chief executive Dr Peter Kennedy said: "We carefully considered all the facts, including Mr Horne's medical condition, and came to the conclusion, after discussions with the prison authorities, that he could be safely returned to the prison medical centre.

"The Trust has an important responsibility to its 2,000 staff and 600 inpatients, as well as to hundreds of outpatients and visitors, to provide a safe and peaceful environment. This became impossible last weekend.

"The Trust was obliged to declare a major security alert and close down all but two of the entrances to the hospital building, which were then guarded. This is not acceptable. The risk of some serious incident happening was too high."

Ryedale MP John Greenway today welcomed the decision, saying people had become fed up about Horne's continuing stay at the hospital.

But he said: "The question now arising is why was he sent there in the first place? I intend to raise that with the Home Office Minister George Howarth."

But Horne's supporters branded the move "outrageous". John Pounder, of the Animals Betrayed Coalition, said: "I can't believe it.

The man's on his death bed and they're just accelerating the process. He receives that little bit of extra comforting care at the hospital and it's a warmer building."

Two supporters who travelled from the hospital to Full Sutton last night to start a vigil outside the jail were also angry at the decision.

Linda Furness, from Kent, said: "I cannot believe they have brought him back to prison. Say he does decide to come off the hunger strike, he is going to have to go into intensive care straight away.

"Those sort of facilities are not available at the prison. I believe he has been brought here to die, that can be the only explanation."Charlie Sergent, from Manchester, said: "We are prepared to stay out day and night in support of what Barry is doing." A mass vigil is planned outside the prison on Sunday, while another would be staged in Trafalgar Square. Horne, serving 18 years for firebombing, is on day 65 of his protest.

A Prison Service spokesman said that Horne would remain under the medical supervision of consultants from York, supported by doctors and nursing staff at Full Sutton.

It was claimed today that Horne was studying documents that could have led to him calling off the hunger strike when he was transferred back to prison.

A spokesman for Animals Betrayed Coalition said the documents, which could have resulted in a "successful resolution to the hunger strike", related to proposals to improve the independence of the Animal Procedures Committee, which oversees animal experimentation.

But he said the transfer to prison now made it difficult for Horne to study the documents.

Two major brands of Italy's traditional Christmas cake - panettone - are being withdrawn from shops after the Animal Liberation Front said it had injected them with rat poison.

A distributor of Nestl products ordered the 1,000 Italian stores that carry its brands Motta and Alemagna to stop their sale.

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