Sponsored by
Hunt did breach ban, says expert
A LEADING fox expert told a court that video footage of the Fernie Hunt clearly shows it hunting illegally.
Professor Stephen Harris, who has studied foxes for 45 years and witnessed many hunts, was giving evidence at Leicester Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday) during an appeal hearing for two employees of the Great Bowden-based hunt.
Huntsman Derek Hopkins and terrierman Kevin Allen were ordered to pay £2,115 and £1,565 respectively in January after they were found guilty by magistrates of illegally hunting a mammal with a dog and interfering with a badger sett.
But they appealed the conviction and a hearing - during which a judge and two magistrates must examine all the evidence - began at the Leicester court this week.
Members of the League Against Cruel Sports, which monitors hunts, shot footage of the hunt near Stonton Wyville on January 27 last year, which the prosecution says shows the accused chasing a fox to ground with hounds, then digging it out of an active badger sett.
The appeal hearing this week was shown the footage, shot at long range.
The prosecution’s case is that the hunt deliberately hunted the fox before attempting to flush it out of the sett so the chase could continue.
Great Bowden residents Hopkins, of Welham Lane and Allen, of Nether Green, say the hunt was following a scent trail.
Giving evidence on day three of the appeal hearing yesterday, Prof Harris said: “If the hounds were accidentally hunting live quarry to ground I would expect the huntsman to try to stop them. That didn’t happen. They were clearly hunting live quarry.
“Dogs don’t tend to get excited when hunting an artificial scent. The video shows prolonged, active excitement, characteristic of hunting live quarry.”
Prof Harris and another witness, badger expert Dr Pamela Mynott, both told the court evidence of badger hair, dung heaps and bedding showed the sett was occupied at the time of the incident.
The hearing continues.
Email to a friend
Print this page- X-Wings banned from the town centre as Harborough gets a Star Wars-inspired makeover
- Shoplifter caught with trolley load of goods
- Paula Elmer bids for Worst Garden award
- VIDEO: Darth Vader pledges tough action in Star Wars signs saga
- Home-town sports hero Johnno will open Olympics-inspired family day
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Market Harborough
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North east
Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
kmm
Friday, October 14, 2011 at 12:32 PMThese arrogant animal abusers think they run this country ( and some of them do, Cameron and his hunt buddies in this sorry Government). They think they are above the law and can do as they please. This is why it is so important for the public to report this criminality to the police and for hunt monitors to be about as much as possible getting this evidence covertly (for their own safety as the hunt people, especially the terrier men on quad bikes, can be violent to those gaining evidence of their criminal acts). The general publlic think hunting no longer occurs, those of us who know about these issue are fully aware that hunts are out week, in week ou, t hunting as usual, at present killing fox cubs. What kind of sadistic minds can do this for fun!!
mhayworth
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 02:38 PMLets hope we have a decent judge left in this country who will dare to stop this barbaric excuse for a sport and uphold the law. I'm not holding my breath though. The hunts seem to control the courts in this country which is why 40,000 of them signed a declaration to ignore the law and continue hunting as usual - without any fear of retribution. It really is appalling.
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.