An animal rights activist who "freed" a live lobster from a high-end seafood restaurant and released it into a harbour has been prohibited from going within 10 metres of the establishment.Marine biologist Emma Smart, 47, stormed into Catch at the Old Fish Market in Weymouth, Dorset, as guests were departing. She made directly for a fish tank, seized a crustacean, and, despite attempts by two staff members to intervene, barged past them to exit the premises.She then released the creature into the nearby harbour, its subsequent survival remaining unknown. However, the lobster had been owned by restaurant proprietor Anthony Cooper for two-and-a-half years and was not intended for sale, instead serving "educational" purposes for visiting children. The Catch at the Old Fish Market is a Michelin Guide restaurant, which has previously hosted diners such as Sir David Attenborough.Emma Smart has been banned from the Catch at the Old Fish Market in Weymouth (BNPS)Smart, described as someone who "cares very deeply about animals", admitted one count of causing criminal damage to a lobster when she appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court. The Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence on charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal or assault, which related to allegations of Smart shoving a staff member. It was noted that while some species of crayfish are endangered and protected, lobsters are not.Prosecutor Ben Thompson said: "At 9pm on April 10 last year the defendant was waiting outside the entrance of the restaurant. When the guests are leaving she comes in and a member of staff attempts to push her out of the property. "Eventually Ms Smart makes her way towards the tank that holds the crayfish, which is actually a lobster. It had belonged to the restaurant owner Anthony Cooper for two-and-a-half years and was not for sale but instead for education reasons when children visit. "Ms Smart reached into the fish tank and took the lobster. Multiple members of staff tried to stop her but she left and leaned over a wall before placing it in the harbour, with the lobster not seen again."The restaurant sits on the harbour in Weymouth (BNPS)Defending, Kitan Ososami said that Smart made an "impulsive" decision after seeing the lobster in the tank. She added: "She acted on impulse. She cares very deeply about animals and marine welfare and this was the driving factor behind her committing this offence."Smart, formerly of Rodwell Street, Weymouth, and now residing in West Wales, received an eight-month conditional discharge. The judge also imposed a three-year restraining order, banning her from being within 10 metres of the restaurant or approaching its staff or guests.Emma Smart was caught on CCTV taking the lobster from the tank (BNPS)Her Honour Judge Susan Evans told Smart: "The lobster was not there for consumption. It was there for educational purposes. "You were determined to take it from the tank and you placed it in the harbour. It was a deeply misguided thing to have done. It was not a good thing for the lobster at all and whether or not it survived, we don't know."This incident was not Smart's first encounter with the restaurant. She previously appeared in court over an event in 2022 when she attempted to force her way in to speak to Sir David Attenborough, urging him to support climate activists in prison. She was cleared of a charge related to failing to comply with a dispersal order after a judge ruled she had not been given sufficient time to comply. Smart had also been jailed for four months in November 2021 following an Insulate Britain climate protest.