Huntsman of the Middleton Hunt found not guilty of illegal fox hunting

Tom Holt, the huntsman and joint master of the Yorkshire based Middleton Hunt was today found not guilty at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court of hunting a wild mammal with dogs at West Knapton, Malton in North Yorkshire last year on the 19th February. The case had been brought by the Crown Prosecution Service following evidence supplied by the League Against Cruel Sports and investigations carried out by North Yorkshire police. Evidence submitted by the League showed two alleged fox chases but the CPS had dropped one of these at a preliminary hearing resulting in much of the video evidence not being permissible. Having heard the evidence the Judge decided that he could not be satisfied that the defendant knew his hounds were chasing a fox or that he showed signs of participation. Tom Holt had claimed in trial that he was trail hunting.