this is an article from my local rag, the dorkinf ad, interveiwing the FOC in relation to the shotgun debacle. it’s not on the net (i hope- i just typed it out!)

Jail terms supported
Ravers under attack defend illegal parties

The ravers who were confronted by gamekeepers Jessica Allinson and Alex Szyndel have been widely castigated in the national press. The Free of Charge crew, as they are known, told JOHN WILLIAMS how the events of that evening unravelled and why they organise illegal parties.
Members of the Free of Charge (F.O.C) crew met me on a wintry night in their local pub in Horsley. They congregate here but are drawn from the towns surrounding Dorking and have all grown up in the area.

The illegal parties – or raves they have organised for the last four years were born out of frustration at what they claim is the lack of viable venues for young people to meet after the pubs close.
In their teens they had visited similar parties organised by established groups such as the Pineapple Tribe, who perform at the Guildford Festival.
When they reached their twenties, they decided to organise their own events. Buying sound equipment from contacts in Guildford, they set up parties at Netley heath, near west Horsley, and other sites they had attended in their younger years.
It was at Netley heath in June 2003that they were confronted by gamekeepers Jessica Allinson and Alex Szyndel, who were both jailed for three months last month for firing their shotguns in an attempt to break up the rave.

FOC were quick to attack the accusations that ravers are inconsiderate and unfeeling toward local residents.
One member called Matt said: “We live in the countryside, we do not want to ruin it. Sometimes we would leave with so many bin bags you would not believe it”
“Yes, we do make a bit of noise, but we have been really careful to pick sites that we know are sheltered and do not carry noise”
The FOC crew organise about four parties a year and never use a site more than once a summer to preserve the ground and to avoid repeated disturbance to the locals.

During the trial, it was said that there were complaints as far away as leatherhead about noise from the rave
But Matt said “that night there were four parties across the area. We were sheltered so I can’t believe that they heard us way over there”
They have been angered at the depiction of them in the national press, which portrayed them as drug-crazed vandals and “snarling ravers”.
Another member, Will explained: “We are nice people, we have jobs and none of us have criminal records”
They are all in agreement about Allinson and Szyndel’s jail sentences.
“You cannot take the law into your own hands. You cannot charge into a group of people and discharge your shotguns” Matt said, “they weren’t reasonable or rational”.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re nice people or not. When you are looking into their eyes and they are pointing guns at you, none of that matters. You are just afraid” A third member, called Jo: But I do feel sorry for her (Jessica Allinson) as she has been separated from her family and has lost her livelihood”

The court at Guildford heard that one partygoer attacked Allinson and smeared blood on her.
All of the FOC looked embarrassed by this accusation and could only explain that the man in question had been trying to wrestle the gun away from Allinson when he had been hit on the head.
They said his actions were motivated by fear and anger at being confronted by people wielding shotguns.
The twentysomethings gathered around the table admit they have not organised a rave since that fateful morning. And due to the police’s hard-line stance will not do so for the time being.

They remain unrepentant for organising raves and ask people to remember, “We have not been in trouble in the law’s eyes”