Animal rights extremists target Glaxo executives

GlaxoSmithKline reacted with horror last night after two executives, including Sir Ian Prosser, became targets of a hate campaign by animal rights extremists. Letters sent to neighbours of the two have maliciously accused them of being rapists. The house of one was daubed with the words "paedo scum".

The targets of the campaign are understood to be Sir Ian Prosser, a non-executive director, and Simon Bicknell, the company secretary. Franz Humer, of the drug maker Roche, is also understood to have been targeted. GSK described the attacks as "deplorable, cowardly and depraved".

The Animal Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for the campaign, which has seen scores of letters supposedly from a police officer sent to neighbours. Police are investigating what they say is a "malicious campaign of intimidation".

Animal rights groups have stepped up their activism in recent years in increasingly violent ways. They say the latest victims of the campaign were singled out because their companies are customers of Huntingdon Life Sciences, the animal testing laboratory.