Heythrop Hunt man denies fox hunting with dogs charges

An Oxfordshire man has pleaded not guilty to hunting foxes with dogs. Julian Barnfield, 48, of Kennel Lane, Chipping Norton, was charged with two offences of unlawfully hunting a wild mammal with dogs. Banbury Magistrates’ Court heard the offences allegedly took place in Oxfordshire in February and March. The case has been adjourned until 9 [...]

Hound killed on busy road during illegal fox hunt.

Hunt Saboteurs Association Press Release 25th October 2011 Hound killed on busy road during illegal fox hunt A hound from the Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt was killed by a lorry, on the A38, South of Tewkesbury, today during an illegal fox hunt. Members of the Hunt Saboteurs Association who were present said the hunts pack [...]

Dog-fighting father and son given prison sentences

A father and son from Oxfordshire have received prison sentences for owning and training dogs for illegal fighting. Ian Draper, 47, of Sylvester Close, Burford and Danny Draper, 25, of Witney had admitted several charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The pair were caught in a covert inquiry by the RSPCA in 2010 [...]

Council chairman blasts Canada goose dead

Council chairman stuns golfers when he pulls out a shotgun  and blasts Canada goose dead for being a ‘c***ping machine’ A parish council chairman horrified golfers when he strode up to a Canada goose sitting by the fairway and blasted it dead with a shotgun. Roger Deadman took the drastic step because he claimed the [...]

Judge dismisses hunt pair appeal

A judge has dismissed an appeal by two hunt employees convicted of breaching hunting laws. Huntsman Derek Hopkins and terrierman Kevin Allen, of the Harborough-based Fernie Hunt, were found guilty earlier this year of hunting a live fox and digging into an active badger sett. However, the pair had maintained they were hunting an artificial [...]

Hunt duo lose their appeal

HUNT employees used “cynical subterfuge” to disguise the fact they were illegally hunting a fox, a judge has ruled. Judge Michael Pert QC told Leicester Crown Court that Derek Hopkins and Kevin Allen, employees of the Great Bowden-based Fernie Hunt, had pretended they where following a trail scent to cover up the illegal pursuit of [...]

Huntsman accused of raping woman at ball

Huntsman accused of raping woman at ball A huntsman has appeared in court accused of raping a woman at a ball. John Norrish, 67, who is a member of the Tiverton Staghounds, did not offer a plea but Exeter Crown Court was told the charge is being contested. Norrish, of Mouseberry Farm, East Worlington, near [...]

Hunt pair ‘dug up sett’

A badger expert has told a court that hunt employees illegally dug into an active sett to get at a fox. Pam Mynott, of Leicestershire Badger Group, gave evidence during an appeal at Leicester Crown Court yesterday. Huntsman Derek Hopkins and terrierman Kevin Allen, of the Fernie Hunt, were found guilty of breaching hunting laws [...]

Ministers spent £400,000 to draw up badger cull plans

Drawing up proposals for a badger cull has cost taxpayers more than £400,000 as ministers attempt to avoid a legal challenge from animal welfare groups, it has emerged. Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has said she is “strongly minded” to sanction a targeted cull as part of a range of measures to combat tuberculosis (TB) in [...]

Hunting hounds riot through garden, killing fox

Pressure on hunting authorities to name and expose hunt involved. As many as a dozen hunt hounds rampaged through a small village yesterday morning, killing a fox, it has emerged. Shocked residents of East Studdal, six miles north of Dover, Kent, heard hounds in full cry and found the main street through the village blocked [...]