News

  • Somerset huntsman pleads guilty to hunting a fox with dogs

    The huntsman for the Seavington Hunt appeared at Yeovil Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to hunting a fox with dogs, contrary to S1 of the Hunting Act 2004. David Parker, 39 was fined £500, ordered to pay £500 costs and a £50 victim surcharge.

  • Four men admit illegal hunting in Cumbria

    Four men working for the Duddon Valley Fox Control Society have admitted hunting a wild mammal with a dog, contrary to Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004, after evidence was passed on to Cumbria police by the League Against Cruel Sports.

  • Huntswoman prosecuted for alleged illegal hare hunting

    The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised proceedings against Libby Gilbert, former huntswoman and joint master of the Royal Agricultural College Beagles, for allegedly hunting a hare with dogs on the 20th February 2013, contrary to Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004. The case is based on evidence gathered by the League Against Cruel Sports.

  • Middleton Hunt members admit illegal fox hunting

    Four members of the Middleton Hunt, a registered hunt based at Malton, North Yorkshire, today pleaded guilty to illegally hunting a fox in December 2012 following footage obtained by the League Against Cruel Sports during a hunt meet at Full Sutton, East Yorkshire.

  • Four members of the Middleton Hunt charged

    Four members of the Yorkshire based Middleton Hunt, including the huntsman and the whipper-in, have appeared in court for offences under the Hunting Act 2004 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

  • Heythrop Hunt plead guilty to illegal hunting

    Two members of the Oxfordshire based Heythrop Hunt former huntsman Julian Barnfield and recently retired joint master Richard Sumner pleaded guilty at Oxford Magistrates Court to four charges of illegally hunting foxes with dogs. The Heythrop Hunt Ltd also pleaded guilty to the same four charges.

  • National Trust bans the Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt

    Following the convictions in August of two members of the Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt for illegally hunting foxes the National Trust has agreed not to grant a licence for the hunt on its land. The ban comes after hunt master the Honourable John Edward Greenall and Glen Morris were convicted at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates…

  • First conviction for cub hunting

    A hunt master of the Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt and a member of his staff were found guilty at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court of illegally hunting fox cubs with dogs. Hunt master the Honourable John Edward Greenall, brother of the Baron of Daresbury, was fined £3,000 and was ordered to pay £500 costs and…

  • Heythrop Hunt being prosecuted by the RSPCA

    The Heythrop Hunt and four of it’s members are being prosecuted by the RSPCA for 45 alleged offences under the Hunting Act 2004. They denied illegally hunting foxes with dogs during incidents that took place during the spring of 2012.

  • Three members of the Crawley and Horsham Hunt convicted

    Three members of the Sussex based Crawley and Horsham Hunt were found guilty at Haywards Heath Magistrates Court of Hunting Act offences which took place in January of last year.

  • Duo admit to hare coursing

    Colin Morell (51) and Simon Jones (30) from Stoke-on Trent appeared before Loughborough Magistrates Court after admitting hare coursing at Langham in Rutland.

  • Fernie Huntsman and terrierman appeal dismissed

    Huntsman Derek Hopkins and terriermen Kevin Allen of the Leicestershire based Fernie Hunt had their appeal dismissed at Leicester Crown Court. They had each been found guilty at Harborough Magistrates Court earlier in the year of hunting a wild mammal with dogs and for interfering with a badger sett during an incident which took place…

  • Hunts warned to stay within the law as five figure defence fails

    Despite mounting a legal defence suspected to have cost tens of thousands of pounds, two members of an East Midlands hunt have today been convicted of animal cruelty offences.

  • First huntsman to be convicted twice under the Hunting Act

    Richard Down, huntsman for the Quantock Staghounds was convicted at Taunton Magistrates Court of an offence under the Hunting Act 2004. He is the first huntsman to be convicted twice under the Act.

  • One every week: hunting convictions at highest level yet

    Official figures released today show convictions almost doubled in 2009 compared with 2008. Fifty-seven people were convicted of offences under the Hunting Act in 2009, according to Ministry of Justice figures, bringing to a total of 145 the number of people convicted between the coming into force of the Act in February 2005 an the…