Mike Collet ‘the Hobbit’
Location: Cirencester
Affiliations: Cirencester Hunt Saboteurs
Mike Collet, a ‘hobbity’ looking man with the heart of an aspiring WWE wrestler, is a well-known sab in Cirencester. Now in his late 60s, Collet has shown little inclination to slow down when it comes to getting physical in the field.
Whilst the hunting community jokingly compare his long white beard to Father Christmas, his character is quite the opposite. His tattoos have been interpreted as reflecting pagan influences, while footage shows him assaulting an elderly trail hunt supporter and captures him endorsing the filming of young children.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Collet is regularly seen protesting outside Sequani labs, a research laboratory whose work supports the safety testing of medicines including cancer and Alzheimer’s treatment, alongside Covid-19 vaccines. He is often seen promoting a placard on his Facebook page which he runs under the false name of Ash Brook. Whilst we are sure he didn’t mean to, BTM think he has done a terrific job of compiling a list of adjectives which perfectly captures the sabbing culture he adores.
Injurious: causing or likely to cause physical harm, damage, or wrong to someone's health, rights, or reputation
"Injurious" was the word Collet reached for, albeit missing a letter. BTM would suggest it is one he embodies rather better than he spells. Only last year Collet was recorded tackling a senior hunt supporter to the ground, rather malicious behaviour for the supposedly non-confrontational saboteurs they claim to be. As the man lay on the floor, fellow saboteur Helen Nicholas grabbed his neck, before asking if he was okay.
It is not the first time Nicholas has been filmed abusing someone. In March 2022, she racially abused a landowner while trespassing, with Collet driving the car at the time, resulting in a police caution.
The pair’s conduct in the more recent incident is particularly difficult to reconcile with their subsequent justification. Collet and Nicholas claimed that the trail hunt supporters had “touched their drone”, despite allegedly flying it in a no-fly zone beside an RAF base. Rather than de-escalating the situation, they responded with aggression while potentially creating a security breach themselves. Perhaps they share Neal Buckoke’s mentality that “if the law is wrong, the right thing to do is break it”.
Filming Children: “Not a Problem”
Not only does Collet target pensioners, but he has also been overheard discussing filming of children. Speaking to a fellow sab on the phone, Collet said “And? Probably just complaining that you’re videoing young children. Not a problem. Under the law, it is not a problem.”
The words speak for themselves. While Collet may see himself as a martyr for the sab cause, right minded citizens would do well to steer well clear of him. It’s no surprise that he had no sidekick supporting him here; for despite most sabs having various quirks and kinks, they generally prefer to film wildlife instead of children.
Performing Rebellion
Collet is very active on Facebook and regularly boasts about attending animal rights marches. In December 2023, he attended a SPEAK protest and shared a photograph of himself holding a flare. While the image shows the cause he was supporting, there was no caption explaining the protest or why he had attended; instead, the post simply showcased the rebellious image. Rather performative, we think.
BTM aren’t surprised to see Collet interacting with convicted bomb maker Mel Broughton on Facebook. Broughton was convicted of conspiracy to commit arson after homemade petrol bombs were planted at Oxford University buildings in connection with protests against animal testing.
In his spare time Collet engages in practices associated with modern Paganism, including hand fasting, and sports a ‘triple moon pentacle’ tattoo on his right arm, a symbol commonly associated with wicca and paganism. Given the character he has repeatedly displays, perhaps his spiritual pursuits provide some explanation for his rather unconventional worldview.
Nonetheless, despite Collet believing his actions to be heroic, it is clear they are unlawful, performative and ill-motivated. Collet will be disappointed to hear that he holds a reputation amongst the hunting community as “useless” and “often confined to his car”. He’s clearly far from the sabbing hero he imagines himself to be.
