Farmers say poacher's court fine is 'laughable'
Farmers, landowners and gamekeepers have criticised sentences given to two men caught hare-coursing as "lenient".
Colin Morrell (51) and Simon Jones (30) appeared before Loughborough magistrates last week after admitting hare-coursing at Langham, in Rutland.
Morrell, of Bishop Road, Stoke-on-Trent, was fined £65 and ordered to pay £40 costs. Jones, of Recorder Grove, Stoke-on-Trent, was given a conditional discharge and told to pay £20 costs.
The maximum fine available to the magistrates for breaking the 2004 Hunting Act is £5,000.
The magistrates who handed out the sentences have been described as "gullible" by a farmers' representative.
Richard Hezlet, East Midlands regional director of the National Farmers' Union, said: "The magistrates seem rather gullible. Here was a case of two men who came to Rutland to poach, admitted what they were doing, with one of them saying he had been doing it for years.
"To fine someone £65 for hare-coursing is laughable."
Mr Hezlet said the "lenient" sentences would attract more poachers to the area.
"There is a culture of fear out there and it takes a brave man to tackle them," he said. "Letting them off with a small fine sends a message out that if you are involved in this type of activity, don't worry too much about coming to this area, because they're not going to do too much to you.
"The police put a lot of resources into tackling this crime, but they're wondering if it's worth their while.
"I think the magistrates see it as quite a romantic crime – the reality is markedly different."
A gamekeeper, who works in the south east Rutland area looking after about 5,000 acres, said: "They come in the dead of night in 4x4 vehicles, driving fast across fields and using lamps to startle the wildlife. One of their main targets is deer, which they'll cut off from cover in the woods with their vehicles and then set their dogs on them. We often have to shoot deer left wounded by their dogs. The A1 is a gateway for poachers."
Farmer Mark Leggott, who farms near Boston, Lincolnshire, where there were 700 hare-coursing incidents last year, said magistrates there dished out harsh penalties for those caught.
He said: "Magistrates hand out much stiffer penalties because they know the effect on the area."
Margaret Bowlers, chair of the Loughborough, Melton, Belvoir and Rutland magistrates bench, said: "Whilst I cannot comment on individual cases, I can say that it is incorrect to suggest that magistrates view hare-coursing as a 'romantic crime'."
7 Comments
by karinfall1955
Friday, January 13 2012, 6:34PM
“@nursemad. "Impotent old toff", do you have anyone in mind??? It is a very uneasy relationship between the gamekeeper and the land. Admittedly parts of the countryside are managed for the 'toffs' but the side benefit is areas which are wildlife friendly. Having said that gamekeepers do occasionally overstep the mark and kill predators such as birds of prey with poisons and then take the rap for the "impotent old toff" as it were.
I did notice earlier in the week someone was fined almost twice as much as the 'hare coursing scum' for dropping a fag end in the street - laughable..”
by jonger
Friday, January 13 2012, 2:08PM
“. breeding animals in factory conditions
nursemad
That's not quite accurate, they do breed birds like pheasants and partridge but do so in outdoor cages to protect them from predators until they are big enough to be let out and fend for themselves, they also feed and maintain the environment for those birds to thrive in and that benefits all the local wildlife, a lot of our "wild" countryside would not exist without their management as it would all be ploughed up for easier arable production.”
by nursemad
Friday, January 13 2012, 3:49AM
“Game keepers though.. breeding animals in factory conditions, and releasing them to be killed by some impotent old toff, are they really much better than poachers?”
by oldhenry
Thursday, January 12 2012, 1:57PM
“People are fined more for dropping a parking ticket! That says everything about the state of this country I believe. Surely the time for amateurs dispensing justice is over? magistrates hark back to thw days of ;It's a fair cop' and 'having a defective rear light ' on a bicycle.
I do not believe magistrates are now fit for purpose and the system needs scrapping”
by depreg
Thursday, January 12 2012, 1:34PM
“"Gullible" is the wrong description for the magistrates involved - "Stupid" or "Not fit for the Job"
would be more appropriate.”
by jonger
Thursday, January 12 2012, 1:20PM
“Hare coursing should be treated like any other form of poaching because in that case when caught all the equipment used is seized and fore-fitted, that includes the vehicles used to travel there, the dogs, weapons etc.
These guys got off very lightly and it just gives the green light to others to do the same.”
by karinfall1955
Thursday, January 12 2012, 11:48AM
“Well done magistrates, you have given the green light to other savages who will doubtless think hunting a profitable activity in this area. You have also made a mockery of the farmers' bravery in tackling and reporting them. Out of touch or what?”