Cotswold Huntsman Alan Morgan convicted of racial abuse

Protect Our Wild Animals has today been informed that, following incidents at a meet in February and complaints to the police, the Huntsman of the Cotswold Vale Farmers Foxhounds has pleaded guilty to racially abusing a hunt sab, fined £100 and ordered to pay £200 compensation to his victim. As Morgan’s offence was, apparently, fully captured on video, a guilty plea was probably wise. He becomes the 296th individual connected with an organised Hunt in the UK who POWA records show as having received a criminal conviction or caution in the last 20 years, and the 39th official Huntsman to receive such legal sanctions.

POWA Person says:- Sabs have made numerous reports, and complaints to police, of assaults by servants and/or supporters of this Hunt. I believe the racial abuse incident was at the same meet, on 26-2-11, when they made allegations of a mob-handed and prolonged attack on several sabs, resulting in some injuries, and which they claimed was both instigated, and participated in, by Mr. Morgan. The full text of the sabs’ report can be read for several minutes, causing traffic chaos. Pictured right, A CVFFH hunter berates sabs in that calm and polite way they have. The horse seems resigned to listening to it yet again.

Hounds in Newport housing estate rampage

Thirty hounds went rampaging along the A41 and a Newport housing estate after a huntsman lost control of the dogs.

Organisers from the North Shropshire Hunt said they were at a loss as to why the hounds ran off on Saturday. The dogs ran across gardens belonging to residents of Deer Park Drive before scampering onto the A41.

Andy Wheals, who was leading the hunt, said: “I would like to profoundly apologise to any residents and anyone driving along the A41. I’m just so pleased that neither a person nor a dog was hurt.

“We were out trail hunting around Edgmond late Saturday morning when we lost the hounds.

“It was a freak accident and won’t happen again.”

One resident, who didn’t want to be named, said: “Two of my neighbours saw the hounds running up Deer Park Drive chasing after a fox. It was horrible to see.”

Chris Ammonds, spokes-man for West Mercia Police, said they attended the incident within 10 minutes of receiving a call at 12.20pm from worried residents.

http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2011/12/21/hounds-in-newport-housing-estate-rampage/

Police appeal for information after animal lovers see evil animal cruelty

Two distraught animal lovers, who saw a dog ripping at the throat of a badger when they stumbled upon illegal baiting, have urged the public to reveal the men responsible.

Plucky Gemma Baldwin chased after the three evil badger baiters when she caught them in the act, while her friend, Zoe Atkinson, alerted the police.

The men escaped over a barbed wire fence and across a field – dragging the dog, with its jaws still clenched around the badger’s neck, with them.

Police yesterday described the incident as “senseless and vile Animal cruelty”.

Miss Baldwin, 30, and her 36-year-old friend, were walking Miss Atkinson’s pet Jack Russell terrier in woods near to Allerton, Bradford, just before midday on Sunday, when they made their grim discovery.

Miss Baldwin said: “We were walking down a track and were talking quite loudly when I heard three loud whistles, like a call to a dog.

“We came round a corner to a clearing and saw three lads running away. We noticed two animals were fighting and realised it was a dog and a badger. The dog had the badger round the neck and the badger was struggling. The men grabbed the dog, which still had hold of the badger, and dragged both of them with them, over a barbed wire fence and through the fields.

“It was really distressing. I was screaming at them to get the dog off the badger. I chased after them, but I couldn’t see which way they had gone. They didn’t turn round and confront me. They couldn’t get away fast enough.”

Miss Baldwin said the police arrived within five minutes and searched the area but the men could not be found.

She said: “The police took it very seriously and took full statements and descriptions from us.

“We were really upset about what happened and we feel very strongly that if anyone has an inkling of who is responsible, they should turn them in.

“It was unnecessary violence. It is disgusting that anyone could put an animal through the trauma that badger was suffering, just for so-called fun.”

She said the spot where the baiting was taking place was a popular place for hikers and families with children.

She described the thugs as white men aged about 20, about 5ft 10-11ins tall. One was wearing a royal blue jumper, a black padded waistcoat and a black waterproof deerstalker hat with fur trim.

They had a black and brown wire-haired large terrier dog.

Chief Inspector Suzanne Akeroyd, of Airedale and North Bradford Police, said: “Animal cruelty of this kind is a senseless, vile and particularly upsetting crime which causes as much distress to police officers as it does generally in our communities.

“In this case we received a call about an ongoing incident of badger baiting to which officers responded promptly and conducted a full search of the area for the suspects and injured animal, neither of which were still present.

“We will always investigate allegations of cruelty and will take action whenever possible, and I would encourage anyone who has information about those responsible for this offence to contact the Airedale and North Bradford Police wildlife officer, PC Richard Oddy, on the 101 non-emergency number or CrimeStoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/local/localbrad/9428784.Dog_walkers_chase__vile__badger_baiters_in_Allerton

 

Seven guilty of badger cruelty

A GANG of six men and a youth were found guilty of hunting and killing badgers in what was described by an RSPCA inspector as the worst case of animal cruelty he had seen in 20 years.

The men, all but one of them from York, were all found guilty of offences under the Badgers Act and Hunting Act following a two-week trial at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court.

The judge praised the bravery of wildlife artist Robert Fuller, who managed to take pictures of the men in the act, and police sergeant Paul Stephenson, who investigated the crime.

Judge Christina Harrison said Mr Fuller, had been particularly courageous in taking the photographs secretly before he was spotted by the men on land at Paradise Farm, Howsham, near Malton, last January.

Speaking after the case yesterday, Mr Fuller, said: “I am glad it has come to an end and come to a conviction.

“Badgers have been persecuted for hundreds of years. This is the first time I have seen it happening. It was a sense of disbelief that it was on a Sunday afternoon at 1pm, and next to a footpath.

“It was just a horrendous thing to see happening on the day, but there are not many better people to be placed there than me.

“I have watched badgers on hundreds of nights and I was brought up on a farm so know about shotguns, so I knew straight away what they were up to by the noises.”

Alan Alexander, 32, of Bramham Close, York, William Edward Anderson, 26, of Hillside, Cropton Lane, Pickering, Richard Simpson, 37, of Wains Road, York, Paul Ian Tindall, 33 of Bramham Grove, York, and a 17-year-old York youth, were all found guilty having pleaded not guilty to charges of wilfully killing two badgers, digging out a badger sett, interfering with a sett, and hunting a wild animal with dogs.

Two others, Christopher Martin Holmes, 28, of Bell Farm Avenue, York and Malcolm David Warner, 28, of Princess Drive, York, pleaded guilty at the start of the trial to the charges, and all seven had their cases adjourned for sentence until January 10.

Another man, James Henry Doyle, 34, of Westfield Avenue, Knottingley, was cleared of all the charges.

The court heard how the men had laughed as they watched a badger being ripped apart in a “tug of war” by dogs. They were also told of the discovery of a pregnant badger, also savaged to death, and two foetuses.

Post-mortem results concluded another badger had “suffered a severe and sustained” attack.

RSPCA Inspector Geoff Edmund said after the hearing: “It was without question the worst case I have seen in 20 years.

“It was horrific. These men went to the farm with the intention of baiting and killing the badgers with dogs. It was barbaric.”

For Sgt Paul Stephenson it was the third time he had been commended by a judge in his career and believed it was his experience in the CID and road traffic patrolling which had enabled him to pursue the case, some of it in his own time.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9428833.Seven_guilty_of_badger_cruelty

Just brilliant

http://hsa.enviroweb.org/index.php/sabbing/325-northern-hunt-saboteurs-stop-dig-out-of-a-fox

Northern Hunt Saboteurs Stop Dig-Out Of A Fox
Monday, 12 December 2011

Here sabs are preventing an illegal dig-out of a fox which had been hunted into an earth by the hounds of the York & Ainsty South hunt. Sabs stood their ground – taking several punches from the terrier men in the process. The terrier men eventually backed down and left. They returned to the earth a further two times that day to try and resume the dig-out but sabs stopped them each time and stayed there till dark to ensure they couldn’t kill the fox. Five sabs were later arrested for “trespassing to disrupt a lawful activity” and had all their changes dropped the day the were due to appear in court recently!

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO VIA THE LINK ABOVE

Badger Trust ‘very disappointed’ over cull decision

The Badger Trust has been advised by Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for the Environment, that she has decided to proceed with the two pilot culls to determine the efficacy and humaneness of the free-shooting of badgers. Her statement was expected on 15th December but was made after Prime Minister’s Question Time today, Wednesday 14th December 2011. We have also been made aware that Guidance Notes will be issued to Natural England tomorrow.

David Williams, Chairman of the Badger Trust said: “We are clearly very disappointed by this decision but now that it has been made, we will be studying it with our legal advisors to determine what action we shall take.”

Badger Trust is the only charity dedicated to the conservation of badgers throughout England, Wales and all Ireland.

 

Prolific egg thief jailed for third time

An egg collector has been jailed for stealing hundreds of eggs from birds including a golden eagle and osprey.

Matthew Gonshaw

More than 700 eggs – stolen from nests in Scotland and Essex – camouflage clothing, climbing equipment and maps of nesting spots were found at the home of Matthew Gonshaw in Bow, east London.

Gonshaw, 49, has previously been jailed for similar offences.

He got six months after admitting 10 charges of theft and possession of rare eggs, at Thames Magistrates’ Court.

The Metropolitan Police and RSPB raided the flat after he was arrested for taking the eggs of several wild birds, including those of a golden eagle and osprey.

He also confessed to stealing 12 avocet eggs from a nesting site on Two Tree Island in Essex.

Gonshaw also took eggs of other birds including peregrine falcons, dotterels, redwings and merlins.

Stealing the eggs of eagles and osprey is amongst the worst wildlife crimes possible in the UK”

Mark Thomas RSPB

Con Stephen Rodgers, of the Met’s Wildlife Crime Unit, said: “This is one of the most serious cases of wildlife crime I have had to investigate.

“Gonshaw’s actions directly jeopardize Britain’s wildlife and his obsession with collecting eggs threatens some of our rarest and most precious species.

“We hope that this result here at court sends out a clear message that, together with our partners from the RSPB, we will work to protect Britain’s birds for future generations.”

The RSPB’s Mark Thomas added: “Stealing the eggs of eagles and osprey is amongst the worst wildlife crimes possible in the UK.

“It is clear the current powers available to the court have had very little impact on this individual, who has been jailed three times previously.”

In 2002 Gonshaw was jailed for three months over his egg collection.

In court he was described as a loner who abused his encyclopaedic knowledge of birds.

An Asbo application relating to Gonshaw is due to be heard on 17 February at Stratford Magistrates’ Court.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16158617

Fox clubbed to death on a garden patio

‘Clubbed to death on a garden patio’: Family claim they watched ‘barbaric’ huntsman kill fox in neighbour’s garden

By Andrew Levy 12th December 2011

Relaxing at home with his wife and friends, Mick Heath’s peaceful afternoon was shattered when a pack of hounds burst into his neighbour’s garden.

It soon became clear that the dogs belonged to a hunt and had cornered a fox.

Mr Heath claims that after the hounds had finished with their prey a senior member of the hunt strode over and clubbed it to death on his neighbour’s patio, which he can see from his living room.

Disgusted: Mick Heath has told how he saw a fox clubbed to death on his garden patio after a hunt ‘went out of control’

The graphic designer – who is not opposed to hunting – yesterday spoke of his disgust at what happened outside his home in Bradfield, Essex.

‘It was totally barbaric,’ he said. ‘We were at home having a nice, normal weekend when we heard a commotion – voices, horns and the noise of the hounds – and they were so close that I threw my three cocker spaniels indoors. The fox had gone to ground at the end of our neighbour’s garden.

‘The hounds piled in and suddenly the whipmaster of the hunt walked across the patio and clubbed the fox to death in front of us.’

Watching the commotion with Mr Heath, 53, was his friend Joe Morton, 46. Mr Heath said: ‘My friend Joe, who is an outdoorsy chap and knows the ways of the countryside, turned to him and said “You b******”. The whipmaster just said “Sorry, sorry” and walked away with the fox, leaving a pool of blood on the patio.’

‘Barbaric’: Mick Heath’s patio is still stained with blood, the RSPCA is investigating the incident

His wife Jane, 61, and Mr Morton’s son, 13, were in another room but did not see the fox’s death. The Heaths’ neighbours were also in but declined to comment.

The Hunting Act 2004 bans activities Parliament believed to be cruel sports and permitted activities that it believed to be necessary for land managers.

A person commits an offence if he hunts a wild mammal with a dog, unless his hunting is exempt from the rules.

Exempt conditions include:

If the stalking or flushing is taking place to protect game birds or wild birds, property, or the biological diversity of an area.

If you are hunting with the purpose of enabling a bird of prey to hunt the wild mammal on land, which is why many hunts now have a falcon.

Other conditions include making sure the hunt does involve more than two dogs and that the stalking does not involve the use of a hound below ground.

Under the law reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that as soon as possible after being found the wild mammal is shot dead by a competent person.

The Essex and Suffolk Hunt was using the hounds to flush out animals and using a bird of prey to make the kill. This is legal under the Hunting Act 2004.

Mr Heath complained the members were not in control of the pack. He added: ‘I am not anti-hunt – I have taken my grandchildren to see the hunt set off as it’s a wonderful spectacle. It is the fact that they did this in front of us and an impressionable teenage boy in a private garden.

‘They could have taken that fox away and shot it.’

The Essex and Suffolk Hunt yesterday denied any member was directly involved in killing the fox.

Senior huntsman James Buckle said: ‘The fox was killed by the hounds. There is no way they would do half the job.

‘The hunt master was whipping the pack to get the dead fox from them.’

He said the owner of the garden had accepted the hunt’s apology. Police said the hunt was using a bird of prey and the pack had accidentally picked up the fox’s scent.

A spokesman said officers had spoken to the hunt and the homeowners were satisfied with police action.

The spokesman added: ‘There was no offence committed.’

The RSPCA said it was investigating the incident.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2073097/Clubbed-death-garden-patio-Familys-horror-watching-barbaric-huntsman-kill-fox.html

Norfolk estate gamekeeper pleads guilty to animal cruelty charge

A Norfolk gamekeeper was told today he could be sent to prison after admitting causing a fight between two dogs and a fox.

Christopher John Carter,

Christopher John Carter, 49, of The Burrows, in Gayton Thorpe, pleaded guilty at King’s Lynn Magistrates’ Court this afternoon to causing the fight between the animals in July 2009.

Appearing alongside Carter was Luke James Byrne, 19, of Mill Houses, King’s Lynn, who admitted causing three animal fights on Westacre Estate.

The 19-year-old also admitted possessing three dead wild birds, a heron, cormorant and a buzzard, in King’s Lynn.

Jonathan Eales, prosecuting for the RSPCA, showed magistrates video footage, recorded by Bryne, of the fights which saw dogs attacking animals trapped in a snare.

The first clip showed a fight between a dog and rat which took place on June 20, 2009.

The other videos showed two dogs attacking a fox on July 2, 2009 and a fight between a dog and a fox on June 15, 2010.

Mr Eales said: “In March this year, a woman purchased a mobile phone from Mr Bryne’s parents. The phone had been used by Mr Bryne and had a video clip on it of one of these fights.

“The woman was so shocked by what she saw that she reported it to the RSPCA which then investigated it. The investigating officer then took possession of Mr Bryne’s father’s laptop and two further video clips were found.”

During each of the videos, Bryne was heard laughing as the fights took place and encouraging the dogs to attack.

He was also heard screaming “kill it” repeatedly and during the second video, Bryne was heard saying: “That didn’t last very long”.

Mr Eales continued: “A number of pictures were also found on Mr Bryne’s father’s laptop of dead animals – three of which were dead wild birds.

“The conclusion was made that he must have been in possession of these birds to take pictures of them and he has pleaded guilty to these charges.”

Mr Eales told the told Carter is a gamekeeper and that Bryne had done work experience with him but added they had known each other for a long time.

He continued: “When these matters were discovered, both men were interviewed. At first, Mr Bryne denied having any involvement in or knowledge of these matters but after being shown the video clips, he made a no comment interview.

“Mr Carter didn’t make any admissions until the videos were shown to him. But he did assist us in relation to other two clips which he wasn’t involved in.

“Mr Carter gave no reason why he thought these things had happened. He said he had no excuse for it and said he knew what had happened was against the law. He also said he was ashamed of himself.”

Mr Eales asked magistrates to consider depriving the two men of ownership of the dogs and told the court these dogs would then be re-homed by the RSPCA.

Carter’s two dogs are currently with the RSPCA but Bryne’s dog remains at his home address.

He also asked magistrates to consider whether or not to disqualify both men from owning animals for a short period or for life.

James MacWhirter, representing Bryne, asked magistrates to put off sentencing his client until a pre-sentence report had been carried out by the probation service.

But Malcolm Savory, representing Carter, urged magistrates to deal with his client and told them he could produce plenty of character references for Carter.

He also appealed to the magistrates to take into account the video footage relating to his client lasted 30 seconds but in other cases the RSPCA taken to court the suffering can go on for “minutes, days weeks, months or sometimes years”.

Magstrates asked for all-options pre-sentence reports to be prepared for both men, including possible custodial sentences.

The two men will return to King’s Lynn Magistrates’ Court on January 11 to be sentenced.

http://www.norwichadvertiser24.co.uk/news/norfolk_estate_gamekeeper_pleads_guilty_to_animal_cruelty_charge_1_1149210

Policeman’s badger horror

By Kate Liptrot

A POLICE officer has described the disturbing scene he discovered when investigating reports of badger baiting on remote farmland near York.

Sgt Paul Stephenson found the body of a dead badger and badger foetuses after police were informed that a gang of men had watched badgers being ripped apart by dogs on the land between Scrayingham and Howsham Bridge, he told Scarborough Magistrates’ Court.

After digging into a patch of land that he noticed had been disturbed but apparently recovered with sods of grass, Sgt Stephenson said he found the body of a pregnant female badger four feet under the ground.

Post-mortem examinations of the two badgers have found that one had died from gunshot wounds after a sustained attack by dogs, and the other had been “torn to pieces and bled to death”.

Eight men have been accused of wilfully killing a badger, digging out and interfering with a sett, hunting a wild animal with dogs, and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

When first arriving at the scene Sgt Stephenson said some of the men had told him they had permission to be on the land. He said: “They were cocky, they were flippant. They would not tell me what had gone on. They said they had not killed a badger but would not say more than that.”

Sgt Stephenson said that as he had found a badger tail, he suspected there was a possibility a third badger had been killed but he was unable to find a body.

Cross examining Sgt Stephenson, Clive Rees suggested there were other people at the scene who were not apprehended. He also suggested that injuries found on the dogs owned by some of the men may have been caused by the animals fighting one another.

Six of the men have pleaded not guilty to the charges: Alan Alexander, 32, of Bramham Close, York; William Edward Anderson, 26 of Hillside, Cropton Lane, Pickering; James Henry Doyle, 34 of Westfield Avenue, Knottingley; Richard Simpson, 37, of Wains Road, York; Paul Ian Tindall, 33 of Bramham Grove, York; and a 17-year-old York youth who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Two other men, Christopher Martin Holmes, 28, of Bell Farm Avenue, York, and Malcolm David Warner, 28, of Princess Drive, York, pleaded guilty to jointly wilfully killing a badger, digging for badgers, and interfering with a sett, and had their cases adjourned until January 10. Both were granted unconditional bail.

Police were alerted to reports of badger baiting following a 999 call from wildlife artist Robert Fuller.

The trial continues.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9408694.Policeman___s_badger_horror/