MAY 2008

….. 25th May - LACS sell London HQ, move to Surrey as membership falls

….. 23rd May - Leading Huntsman, Michael Farrin of Quorn FH, dies aged 65

….. 19th May - Police charge Heythrop FH Huntsman with illegally hunting foxes 

….. 14th May - Nick Soames MP fined & given 2 month ban for traffic offences 

….. 14th May - Widdecombe calls for hunt bullies to be reined in & monitors licenced 

…..  1st May - Woman JM of Dunston Harriers, 84, died in fall out hunting 

Leading Huntsman, Michael Farrin of Quorn FH, dies aged 65

Farrin rode horses loaned by Queen Mother - Prince Charles often rode with him

Was Quorn Huntsman 30 years and when fox bagging scandal broke in 1990

23-5-08  Daily Telegraph    Michael Farrin - Leading huntsman who rode with the Quorn and was considered a distinctive and iconic exemplar of the Shires tradition    Michael Farrin, who has died aged 65, was one of the most admired professional huntsmen of the postwar era, serving the Quorn for 30 years.

The Prince of Wales, and leading racing personalities such as Major Dick Hern, Barry Hills and Willie Carson, were among those who relished the classic Quorn Mondays and Fridays, riding behind hounds over the cream of High Leicestershire, with Farrin as Huntsman.

He was a fine hound man, and admired as an exceptional horseman; he rarely suffered a fall, and appeared to flit across the country in front of the mounted followers, making the most formidable obstacles seem negligible, until others tried to emulate him. He rode many horses of different types with equal skill; two of his mounts were ex-chasers loaned to the Quorn by the Queen Mother, who visited the hunt kennels to see them.

Michael Farrin was born on February 9 1943, the eldest of five children of Dick and Peggy Farrin, who farmed in the Atherstone country bordering Leicestershire and Warwickshire. At the age of nine Michael was driving a tractor to plough on his father's farm when he saw a dark brown fox crossing the bottom of the field. Suddenly a pack of hounds screamed across the field in pursuit. Michael rushed home, tacked up his brother's pony, and rode across country in an exciting line after the hunt for about five miles. Then he returned the pony home, and found the tractor engine was still running.

The experience ignited his lifelong passion for the sport... at 16 Michael entered hunt service as second horseman to Captain Parry, and whipped in to Parry when he took the mastership of the North Cotswold.

In 1963, aged only 20, Farrin made a career leap in being appointed first whipper-in of the Quorn under their Huntsman Jack Littleworth... Ill health caused Jack Littleworth's early retirement, and Farrin was appointed to replace him from 1968.

"If we looked for a new Huntsman we should try to find someone exactly like Michael Farrin – he crossed the country with consummate ease, was a very fine horseman and certainly had a flair for hunting the fox..." The country was inexorably changing from pasture to postwar arable farming, which reduced the riding possibilities. Roads became much busier, villages expanded, and hunting was increasingly receiving attention from saboteurs, and political attempts to achieve a ban.

A huntsman's performance is constantly judged and analysed by his supporters, similar to other leading sportsmen. Farrin… had to cope with all the increasing pressures, continuing the Quorn's four-day-a-week role in front of large visiting crowds during good times, and coping in the not-so-good times when there was much publicised internal dissent, and frequent mastership changes. Through it all he retained the loyalty and friendship of the vast majority of Leicestershire farmers and landowners who allowed access to large mounted fields.

Farrin's last day, at the end of his 30-year term, at the close of the 1997-98 season, was attended by a huge following, including the Crown Equerry, Sir John Miller, who was a great admirer and friend of the Huntsman.

Although he had regrets at retiring in his mid-fifties, Farrin admitted he was glad to have handed over the horn well before Labour's Hunting Act in 2002...

APRIL 2008

…. 30th April - Supporters step in to save South Downs Bloodhounds drag hunt

….. 24th April - Seavington/Taunton Vale FH rider found dead in his car, aged 38

….. 16th April - Nick Soames MP summonsed for traffic offences at Crawley FH hunt

….. 15th April - Otis Ferry charged with robbery after 2 female monitors attacked

….. 15th April - Dead fox dumped on woman Dorset monitor's car at her home

…..  3rd April - Cheshire FH ride illegally on towpath, horse falls in canal 

…..  3rd April - 3 Hampshire FH supporters cleared of robbing sabs of cameras 

Supporters step in to save South Downs Bloodhounds drag hunt

30-4-08   Petersfield Post  [no longer online]    Supporters' help secures Hunt's future    A Huntsman said he was "overwhelmed" by the response of supporters that have stepped forward to save his ailing Hunt. Jeremy Whaley, master and Huntsman of the Froxfield-based South Downs Bloodhounds, thought his career was over after the season finished at the end of March… But no sooner had Mr Whaley spread the news that the hunt was to fold than supporters began to offer their help… The hunting season resumes in late August and September but the hounds can be seen at Froxfield Fete on June 29th….

Dead fox dumped on woman Dorset monitor's car at her home

Victim suspects supporters of Cattistock FH, which she monitors often

14-4-08  Western Daily Press  [no longer online]   Hunters' sick stunt is meant to scare me off    An animal rights campaigner has accused pro-hunt supporters of intimidation tactics after a dead fox was dumped on the roof of her car this weekend. Hunt monitor Helen Weeks, from West Coker, near Yeovil, was left shaken and distressed when she and husband Paul discovered the creature's bloody corpse outside her house yesterday morning… In a chilling twist, the fox disappeared minutes after Mr and Mrs Weeks had made the grim discovery and filmed the macabre scene for evidence to give to the police - suggesting the culprits had been hiding nearby, waiting for the couple to find the body….

Otis Ferry charged with robbery after 2 female monitors attacked

15-4-08   Daily Mirror   Son of Bryan Ferry charged with attacks and robbery - Star's son allegedly laid into fox hunt activists     The son of rock star Bryan Ferry has been charged with attacking and robbing two women anti-fox hunt monitors. Otis Ferry, 25, friend of Sienna Miller, allegedly wrestled a video camera from them after he spotted the pair filming him.

Another man is said to have broken a window of the women's car and hit one with a radio antenna he snapped off the roof. They then apparently rode off on their horses as police were called. The women, who had been watching for illegal fox hunting, had to be treated for shock and bruising. Officers arrested Ferry at his home the next day.

Mum-of-one Helen Ghalmi, 38, one of the alleged victims, said: "He seemed to come out of nowhere and was shouting. He tried to pull me out of the car by the arm but I was still strapped in. The camera fell into the footwell and he grabbed it. Then he pulled the keys out of the ignition and we had a tug of war over them. My fingers were hurting and it was only later I found my arm was bruised where he grabbed me." Ferry had been riding with the Heythrop Hunt in Chipping Norton, Glos - near Tory leader David Cameron's Oxfordshire constituency - in November when the assault was said to have happened.

The court case is likely to embarrass Mr Cameron, who has ridden with the Heythrop and is friends with its Hunt Secretary. Its members helped him into Parliament by canvassing and leafleting for him when he stood as their MP.

Gloucestershire Police said: "We can confirm one man has been charged in connection with this incident. The other man has still not been identified and we would be grateful for any information the public might be able to provide in this matter."

Ferry will appear before Cheltenham magistrates charged with robbery and common assault next month.

                       Otis, centre, with father Bryan and brother Isaac 

                               One of the victims of the attack talks to police later 

Cheshire FH ride illegally on towpath, horse falls in canal

3-4-08  Email from monitor   The Cheshire Hunt rode on the Canal Towpath, which is illegal and then one of the horses fell in and had to be dragged out.

What is really bizarre about the whole thing, and just shows how they are putting two fingers up to everyone, including British Waterways, is that the photos were taken by a hunt enthusiast and posted on a pro hunt website, called Liams Hunting Directory [at bottom of page].

PS   You might like to know that, as with the rest of the country, Cheshire Hunts are carrying on as normal, they have even started to block up badger sets on the day of the hunt. We have given evidence to Police but they just are not interested.

3 Hampshire FH supporters cleared of robbing sabs of cameras

3-4-08  North West Hunt Sabs Assoc    On 3/4/08 three hunt supporters were cleared of robbing two hunt sabs of their camcorders at a meet of the Hampshire Hunt. At Winchester Crown Court Peter Bogris (30) of Petersfield, George Juer (26) of Alton, and Wayne Spencer (40) Billingshurst, West Sussex, all cleared of robbery and affray. The prosecution alleged that the trio took the cameras by force as the two sabs were surrounded by hunt followers on a path.

3-4-08  Hampshire Chronicle [no longer online]  Hunt trio cleared of robbery    Three hunt supporters have been cleared of robbing two "saboteurs" of their camcorders at a meet near Alresford. A four-week trial at Winchester Crown Court, which ended today, saw Peter Bogris, 30, of Petersfield, George Juer, 26, of Alton, and Wayne Spencer, 40, Billingshurst, West Sussex, all accused of robbery and affray. They were said to have attacked "hunt monitors" Iris Luppa and Stella Hardy, both from the Reading area, at a meet of the Hampshire Hunt on February 24th last year…. Labelling the alleged victims as "hunt saboteurs", the defence on behalf of Mr Bogris and Mr Juer said that the pair were on the path at the time and that an argument erupted over Miss Hardy filming children, but said the women fabricated what happened…

MARCH 2008

….. 30th March - BBC film shows awful treatment of monitors by Heythrop FH

….. 18th March - MP Soames faces court over quad bike misuse at Crawley FH hunt

….. 15th March - Monitors film High Peak Harriers hunting hare - dead hunt horse 

….. 13th March - FC ban IoW FH after see film of fox chasing and sett interference

….. 12th March - Deer remains dumped on LACS sanctuary gifted by Paul McCartney

…..  9th March - Residents upset as Amman V Hunt chase fox down street

…..  7th March - Cottesmore FH hounds riot in village, 2 enter man's house

…..  3rd March - MORI poll shows 73% support fox hunt ban, more for hare/deer hunting 

Cottesmore FH hounds riot in village, 2 enter man's house

7-3-08  Stamford Mercury [no longer online]    A villager is furious after 2 hunting hounds of the Cottesmore Hunt ran into his home. He said that the pack of approximately 20 hounds came through the village and were completely out of control. They were scattered around the village rampaging and barging through his neighbours' hedges. He was told that a drag scent had been laid which had gone off line. The police were called but no action was taken.

FEBRUARY 2008

….. 23rd February - Cumbria police investigate 'several' illegal fox hunting reports

….. 22nd February - Coniston FH Huntsman convicted of smashing sab's car window

….. 21st February - ALF in graffiti/damage attacks on 3 Cotswolds Hunts' premises

….. 19th February - Cameron again pledges Tory govt will hold vote on scrapping Hunting Act

….. 19th February - 'Appalling behaviour' to monitors by hunters has ended with police cautions

….. 19th February - East Cornwall FH snapped breaking 2 Highway Code rules

….. 14th February - Passer-by sees hounds & hunters invade Lincs airfield

….. 13th February - 2 Crawley FH hounds run over on A281 - hunters abuse motorists

….. 13th February - Motorist almost kills hound as Cotswold FH pack spills onto road 

….. 13th February - Grafton FH hounds chase fox into empty house, kill it in bathroom 

…..  8th February - Residents resist Mendip Farmers FH's new kennels plan 

…..  2nd February - Cattistock FH supporter cautioned for threatening monitors 

Cameron again pledges Tory govt will hold vote on scrapping Hunting Act  

19-2-08  Western Mail  [no longer online]   Cameron to allow free vote on ending ‘idiotic’ hunting law    A TORY Government would give MPs a free vote on reversing the hunting ban, David Cameron said last night. The current law had been made to look “idiotic” due to the number of people breaking it, he suggested. In an exclusive interview with the Western Mail, three years to the day since the ban become law, Mr Cameron said, “We have a very clear position on this, there will be a free vote, and if there is a vote to repeal the hunting ban there will be a government Bill in government time...

Passer-by sees hounds & hunters invade Lincs airfield

14-2-08  Hunt Watch  [no longer online]   Hounds invade Lincs airfield   On 6th Feb 08, a member of the public was passing Sturgate airfield near Gainsborough at approx 3pm and noticed some very large dogs bounding down the runway and realised huntsmen accompanying them. They then saw 20 riders. A spokesman for the airfield confirmed that they did not give permission for the hunt to use their land and that it could have caused a serious problem.

2 Crawley FH hounds run over on A281 - hunters abuse motorists

Woman's car badly damaged as hit pack chasing fox across road 

13-2-08  West Sussex Wildlife Protection [no longer online]   Crawley and Horsham Hunt, West Sussex hounds killed and injured after chasing a fox over a busy road (A281) - 12-2-08   Crawley and Horsham hounds chased a fox over the road just north of Shermanburry, Partridge Green, W. Sussex, which resulted in two hounds being struck by a woman motorist (Helen Daniel) returning from a mother and toddler group. 

Although the car was badly damaged the woman driver claimed a huntsman shouted "its not damaged, just drive on." When monitors tried to video the huntsman with the injured hound, hunt Whipper in, Freddie Morby shouted "are you fucking sick" as he desperately tried to ensure the injured hounds were not filmed.

Another member of the mother and toddler group (Lisa Morris) pulled up immediately behind Helen Daniel and was told by the Hunt to move on. When she saw the injured hound still blinking, and demanded the huntsman deal with it, she claims she was abused. When she pulled up further, the hounds crossed back over the road, and she stated she said to the Hunt: "I expect you are upset you did not get your fox," and was met with a "torrent of abuse."

Hunt master Anthony Sandeman, who was on foot and was not a witness but arrived later, told hunt monitors, the "driver was going too fast".

Hunt monitors from West Sussex Wildlife Protection, said: The Crawley and Horsham hunt are entering their hounds in the most dense woodland undergrowth in a deliberate attempt to chase foxes. 

Occasionally they play a charade with riders having new dusters on the end of a whip who run wildly around when monitors turn up, and for the first time last week, when filmed by a Country Sports TV company, they used two runners with "Trail Layer 1" and "Trail Layer 2" on their backs; although monitors claim their was not an atom of scent on the socks they dragged!

This incident reveals the truth, with hounds crossing a busy road at least twice in full cry and running from dense woodland when no trail could ever be laid.

In the 2006-7 season the Crawley and Horsham hunt tried to circumvent the Hunting Act 2004 by using an Eagle Owl, and claiming an exemption allowed their hounds to flush out foxes from cover. While the hunt has abandoned this method on police advice, they continue to hunt illegally.

Pic above  -  Woman motorist who drove into pack is comforted  

                               Hunter tries to hide injured [dead?] hound 

                      Serious damage to car - what did that collision do to hounds? 

Residents resist Mendip Farmers FH's new kennels plan

8-2-08  Fosse Way Magazine  [no longer online]  Campaign group prepares to fight kennel proposals   A group of Priddy residents are trying to stop the local hunt from moving closer to their homes. The Mendip Farmers’ Hunt has been based at Harptree Lodge on the outskirts of the village for around 85 years. The owner of the Plummer’s Lane premises recently announced plans to sale the property so the Hunt is planning to renovate a derelict dairy farm to create new kennels for around 60 foxhounds within the village. But some local people claim the proposed site is too close to their homes and fear that the busy kennels would cause an intolerable noise nuisance…

…..  ? January - BBC reporter joins Heythrop FH monitors - sees chase & evidence of kill 

….. 31st January - Quorn FH senior JM badly hurts neck in hunting fall

….. 14th January - Surrey Union FH kill fox on cricket pitch in middle of Ockley

….. 10th January - 'Frenzied' Bicester FH hounds cause up to £4k damage to garden 

….  7th January - Minehead Harriers Huntsman & Whip plead guilty to illegal hunting

…..  1st January - Crawley FH follower Nick Soames MP recklessly carries kids on quad 

Coniston FH follower arrested after smashed window of car carrying monitors

13-1-08  North West Hunt Saboteurs Association PR [no longer online]   Hunt supporter arrested following attack on anti-hunt monitors     A supporter of the Coniston Foxhounds was arrested on 10th January 2008 after allegedly smashing the window of a vehicle containing anti-hunt monitors.

The three anti-hunt monitors were on their way to a meet of the Coniston Foxhounds to gather evidence of any illegal hunting when their vehicle was attacked near Ambleside, which resulted in them being covered with glass splinters.

During the alleged attack the hunt supporter climbed onto the bonnet of their car and tried to smash their windscreen. Failing to break the windscreen he then tried to enter the vehicle by the drivers side door. Finding the door locked he then smashed the window to try and grab the driver. The monitors then managed to drive off and report the incident to the police at Ambleside where they made statements.

North West Hunt Saboteurs Association (NWHSA) spokesperson Paul Timpson stated 'It is clear that this Hunt has something to hide or they would not have attacked the monitors. Violence and intimidation is a tactic used to try to prevent monitors from recording hunts that are breaking the law. The police need to take action when these incidents are reported to them.'

He added 'Members of the NWHSA have been attending various hunts in Cumbria this season and have often seen illegal hunting. Hunt saboteurs have switched to monitoring hunts in order to provide evidence for prosecutions under the Hunting Act. However, if the Crown Prosecution Service and police allow Hunts to ride roughshod over the law, the HSA's members will have to return their tried and tested tactics that have saved the lives of 1000's of animals over the years.'

'Frenzied' Bicester FH hounds cause up to £4k damage to garden

10-1-08   Northants Chronicle [no longer online]   Stray hunting hounds that rampaged through a Northamptonshire garden have caused up to £4,000 in damage Sonia Hawes, who lives in High Street, Eydon, says now she can never leave her home for the weekend for fear the dogs will destroy her garden again.

The 51-year-old artist was finishing her lunch when she saw around 20 hunting dogs from the Bicester Hunt enter her garden, damaging her pond, swimming pool and woodpile.

She said: "The dogs ploughed straight through the fence and wrecked two fencing panels. I've got quite a large pond and at one point there were 12 hounds in it. They've pierced the liner and our swimming pool cover has been wrecked because it has been stretched. I went out into the road to see if there was anyone there because these dogs have no collars, so there's nothing to grab them with. It wasn't until 10 to 15 minutes later that the Hunt got into the village. The Master apologised and agreed to pay for the damage. It's all very well paying for the physical damage but it doesn't cover the stress of that afternoon. I've got an elderly dog and the shock if nothing else could have killed it. They looked like frenzied dogs that were totally out of control," she said.

The Hunting Act 2004 bans hunting wild mammals with dogs except in certain circumstances. There are situations when dogs pick up the scent of a fox while out on a hunt, even if the Hunt did not go out with the intention of hunting foxes. The maximum fine for breaching the hunting law is £5,000.

Damage to the garden during the incident on December 29 has already amounted to £1,000 and could reach £4,000 depending on the damage to the swimming pool.

Christopher Hodgson, Master of the Bicester Hunt, said: "We have apologised profusely for this intrusion into Mrs Hawes's garden at Eydon which has never happened before. The hunt staff will do everything possible to prevent such an event happening again."

Minehead Harriers Huntsman & Whip plead guilty to illegal hunting

Both fined, Whip also convicted of threatening behaviour 

7-1-08   Huntingact.org   Huntsman William Goffe and Whipper-in Gary Bradley of the Minehead Harriers pleaded guilty at Bridgwater Magistrates’ Court to hunting a wild mammal with dogs in a private prosecution brought by the League Against Cruel Sports.

The offence took place the year before in February 2007 during which Goffe and Bradley were video recorded by League investigators pursuing a fox with a pack of hounds.

                    Fox about to jump fence - lead hound also in shot 

The Hunt’s solicitor, Tim Hayden, told the court that hounds had been following a trail but picked up the scent of a fox. Mr Goffe allowed the pursuit to continue when he realised the fox had mange.

Tom Gliddon, chairman of the Minehead Harriers, said “William Goffe and Gary Bradley have acknowledged that during a trail hunt on the 7th February there was one short pursuit of a mammal which was in contravention of the Act”, adding “there was no suggestion that a fox was killed”.

                   Hounds jump fence after fox - Huntsman nearby does nothing 

Both defendants were fined £300 and each asked to pay £500 towards legal costs. Gary Bradley, who rode a horse at an anti-hunt monitor, also pleaded guilty to a public order charge and has been fined £100.

                          Whip Gary Bradley charges horse at monitor, swearing 

See also video on YouTube.

Crawley FH follower Nick Soames MP recklessly carries kids on quad

1-1-08  Hunt Watch [no longer online]  Hunt Fanatic MP Puts Children Lives at Risk - Nicholas Soames MP Flouts Road Legalities on New Years Day Hunt   Just days after a seven year girl tragically died after the quad bike she was driving hit a Range Rover, pro-hunt fanatic Nicholas Soames MP is filmed driving a quad bike on a road overloaded with children and adults following the notorious Crawley and Horsham Hunt.

Tory MP Nicholas Soames, who The Sunday Times famously dubbed Fat Boy Dim, filmed driving the quad bike and trailer bearing no registration plate contrary to the Road Traffic Act and illegally loaded with five adults and several unrestrained children.

A spokesman for West Sussex Wildlife Protection, which monitors the Crawley and Horsham hunt for offences under the Hunting Act, said: "Initially we heard Nicholas Soames was on a quad bike that was overloaded. We thought nothing of it, because with his considerable bulk this was quite likely. However we were astonished to see him on a public road just north of his home at Bells Farm, Slaugham, West Sussex, with several unrestrained young children and adults racing along on a quad bike with no registartion plate. He was desperate to keep up with the hunt and seemed unworried if the children lost their teeth on the metal rim of his quad bike trailer."

Nicholas Soames MP is a key supporter of the Countryside Alliance and a close friend of Prince Charles. Between 2003 and 2005 Soames served as Shadow Secretary of State for Defence and as a member of the Shadow Cabinet and well as being on the Council of the National Trust.

In 2002 a letter to the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and signed by Prince Charles claimed that farmers suffered more discrimination than blacks or gays was widely condemned. Even agricultural experts attacked the comments as inaccurate, saying that the issues bore no comparison and pointing out that the many billions of pounds worth of subsidies and grants for farmers dwarf the millions awarded to ethnic minority communities and the negligible amounts given to gay groups. The letter is thought to have been written by the princes close friend Nicholas Soames, a Tory MP.

According to the book Women in Parliament published in 2005, Soames has been named as the 'most sexist' MP, with several female MPs stating that he has made vulgar comments. One says they retaliated by shouting "click" at him — a reference to a claim that having sex with him was "like having a wardrobe fall on you with the key still in". It has frequently been alleged that Soames makes repeated cupping gestures with his hands, suggestive of female breasts, when women are trying to speak in parliament, to sexually harass and distract them from performing politically.

In a vicious attack on Princess Diana, Nicholas Soames told BBC Newsnight that the Princess was paranoid; Soames has no medical qualifications.

Political comedian Mark Thomas accused Soames of dishonestly registering some inherited heirlooms, including a "three tier mahogany buffet with partially-reeded slender upright balustrade supports", as conditionally exempt works of art, which do not attract inheritance tax if the public has access to them. Thomas claimed the public had not been granted access.

DECEMBER 2007

….. 30th December - Ab Fab star goes out with Mid Devon FH accused of illegal hunting

….. 28th December - Cars of Golden Valley FH JM vandalised at his home

….. 28th December - Woman Holcombe Harriers rider saves horse from drowning

….. 27th December - Vote OK to mobilise hunters to canvass in electoral marginals

….. 21st December - West Wales golfer's round interrupted by Hunt chasing a fox

….. 20th December - North Wales 'fox control' groups warned to observe Hunting Act

….. 18th December - Crawley FH terrierman fined for throwing dead rabbit at monitor

….. 11th December - Ex Hunt JM convicted of three counts of child cruelty 

…..  6th December - Ex MFHA Chair and Thurlow FH JM Edmund Vestey dies aged 75 

Crawley FH terrierman fined for throwing dead rabbit at monitor

18-12-07  NW Hunt Sabs Association [no longer online]   Hunt terrierman fined £80 fixed penalty for abusive behaviour   Jeremy Charman, a hunt terrierman of the notorious Crawley and Horsham Hunt based in Sussex has been fined £80.00 by police after throwing a dead rabbit at hunt monitors in November '07.

Hunt monitors attending the hunt near Shipley, W. Sussex were followed by "hunt stewards" to a veterinary practice when they found a rabbit suffering from myxamatosis. In an attempt to mock this humanitarian assistance for a sick animal, Charman was later videoed throwing a dead rabbit at monitors, shouting :"Try to revive this fucker."

In Nov. '06, Charman was videoed digging into a badger sett at the Heaselands estate, W. Sussex after the Crawley and Horsham Hunt had chased a fox to ground. As a result, Sussex police have issued new guidelines to police and are determined not to allow Hunts to dig out badger setts in future.

NOVEMBER 2007

….. 30th November - Exmoor FH Huntsman wins appeal against illegal hunting conviction

….. 30th November - 82 year old given ban and fine for driving at hunt gathering

….. 29th November - Woman & 5 year old see Croome FH hounds rip fox apart in garden

….. 27th November - Emaciated Dunston Harriers found straying, rescued by a local

….. 27th November - Dunston Harriers invade Wildlife Trust nature reserve

….. 24th November - Essex & Suffolk FH hunter rides down women sabs, repeatedly rides over one

….. 19th November - Avon Vale FH Huntsman & steward convicted of stealing monitor camera

….. 19th November - Hunt in Essex seen chasing fox reported to police

….. 18th November - Villagers get ASBO warning served on 3 JMs of Cotswold FH

….. 16th November - Resident reports illegal fox hunt near Colchester

……  9th November - Crawley FH follower who broke woman sab's arm gets suspended sentence 

Exmoor FH Huntsman wins appeal against illegal hunting conviction

30-11-07  BBC News   Huntsman conviction appeal upheld   The first Huntsman to be convicted of breaching the Hunting Act has had his conviction overturned. Tony Wright of the Exmoor Foxhounds was found guilty of hunting a wild animal with dogs after a prosecution by the League Against Cruel Sports in 2006.

An Exeter Crown Court judge allowed his appeal and said he was satisfied that Mr Wright had thought he acted to ensure he complied with the law. The Countryside Alliance said it was a "nail in the coffin" of the Act. “If the courts cannot be sure what is hunting and what is not, how on earth can anyone else”.

After the hearing, Mr Wright said: "I am delighted with the result, which is what I believed all along." He said it was a "very difficult law to interpret" and was "probably not very well written for people like myself to understand. It shows we were trying our best and that is all anyone can do," said Mr Wright, adding that the Act was not "black and white".

The chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, Simon Hart, said: "This verdict is an absolute vindication of Tony Wright and the Exmoor Foxhounds and another nail in the coffin of the Hunting Act. The Hunting Act is not only a pointless and prejudiced piece of legislation, it is also a very bad law. If the courts cannot be sure what is hunting and what is not, how on earth can anyone else?"

Mike Hobday, the head of the prosecution unit of the League Against Cruel Sports, which brought the private prosecution, said it was a "deeply surprising decision". "We shall be taking urgent legal advice about the prospects of appealing on some of the findings of law." He said he was "shocked and disappointed" at the legal interpretation of the Hunting Act.

The court heard from Richard Furlong for the Crown Prosecution Service that on 29th April 2005 Wright hunted two foxes with two hounds on Exmoor in circumstances which were in "clear breach" of the Act. Wright told Exeter Crown Court that he had read the Act, which came into force on 18 February 2005. He said Exmoor farmers had asked the hunt to "come and kill these bloody foxes" after experiencing losses during the lambing season. He told the court: "We wanted to ensure we worked within the Act."

At Exeter Crown Court judge Graham Cottle allowed his appeal saying he was satisfied that Mr Wright had proved that he reasonably believed, perhaps optimistically, that he had put in place safeguards that he thought would ensure compliance with the Act.

30-11-07  huntingact.org     Tony Wright, huntsman of the Exmoor Foxhounds won his appeal against his conviction for illegal fox hunting at Exeter Crown Court. The Judgment was delivered by Judge Cottle who stated in his conclusion “During this appeal we have enjoyed an extended opportunity to observe and to hear from the appellent and we have no doubt that he and the Master of the hunt genuinely wished to comply with the Act. On that day, with the benefit of hindsight, the arrangements in place may not have been sufficient to ensure compliance with the Act but we are satisfied that the appellant has proved that he reasonably, perhaps, optimistically, had put in place safeguards that would ensue compliance with he Act”.

POWAperson comments  -  It is hard to reconcile the comments of Judge Cottle with what the original trial judge said about the way Wright conducted his hunting.  

Woman & 5 year old see Croome FH hounds rip fox apart in garden

29-11-07   Worcester News    Grandson watched as hounds ripped fox apart    A WOMAN and her grandson have been left traumatised after a fox was torn to shreds by hunting hounds in their Worcestershire garden.

Elizabeth Cash was with her five-year-old grandson at her home in Upton Snodsbury when the hounds entered her garden.

"We were suddenly surrounded by a pack of very noisy and excited fox hounds tearing around our garden, trampling over flower beds, pushing through fencing and terrorising my grandson who was lost among the pack of hounds," she said.

The incident happened last Saturday when the pack was flushing out a fox, which the hunt later planned to kill using a bird of prey - a practice still legal in Britain. But instead the hounds got hold of the fox and killed it, although the Hunt has since said it was an accident.

"The hounds dragged it (the fox) out in our full view to be torn apart before our eyes," Mrs Cash said. "I felt physically sick and could do nothing apart from try to shield my small grandson from the horror he was witnessing. This to me is totally unacceptable."

Mrs Cash, who does not agree with hunting but says she respects other people's views, did not report the incident to the police but has written to the parish council. She was later visited by the Master of the Hunt who apologised.

Joint master of the Hunt for Croome and West Warwickshire Foxhounds, Robin Palmer, said: "Unfortunately the hounds found a fox and the Huntsman tried to call them back but it resulted in this unfortunate incident. It was an accident."

Chairman of Upton Snodsbury Parish Council Terry Eagle said members would be discussing the incident at their next meeting in January.

Mike Foster, MP for Worcester, who initiated the fox hunting ban in a Private Members Bill in 1997, urged Mrs Cash to contact the police. "What has happened is exactly what the whole process to stop it was about," he said. "It is to protect people from having to witness what she did. So if they have broken the law they can be prosecuted for it."

Penny Little, a spokesman for Protect our Wild Animals, called for the law to be tightened. "Every time this happens it is said to be an accident," she said. "This is not acceptable and there needs to be a tightening of the law."

A police spokesman said officers would now investigate the matter by speaking to Mrs Cash. He said: "Fox-hunting is illegal and we respond positively to reports that it is taking place, from whatever the source."

Law Lords dismiss 'human rights' challenge to Hunting Act

28-11-07  Worcester News    Law lords dismiss hunt ban challenge    THE Law Lords today threw out the latest challenges to the ban on hunting with dogs when they ruled that the Hunting Act did not contravene any human rights.

The House of Lords, the highest court in the land, rejected an appeal two years ago in which the pro-hunt lobby claimed that the Parliament Act, used to force through the Hunting Act, was unconstitutional.

Today Lords Bingham, Hope, Rodger and Brown and Baroness Hale dismissed a second challenge by the Countryside Alliance and other campaigners to the lawfulness of the Hunting Act.

The same panel of Law Lords also dismissed an appeal from the Scottish courts by Brian Friend and Jeremy Whaley, both members of the Union of Country Sports Workers. They also claimed that the ban, introduced in Scotland under the Protection of Wild Mammals Act, is an infringement of their human rights.

Lord Bingham, the former Lord Chief Justice who headed the panel of Law Lords, said in his ruling: "Fox hunting in this country is an emotive and divisive subject. For some it is an activity deeply embedded in the tradition, life and culture of the countryside, richly portrayed in art and literature, a highly cherished, skilful, healthy and useful form of communal outdoor exercise. Others find the pursuit of a small animal across the countryside until it is caught and destroyed by hounds to be abhorrent."

He said the House of Lords had never given its consent to the Hunting Act but they were a judicial committee who had to give their views without reference to their personal sympathies.

The Countryside Alliance, along with various individuals, claimed at a hearing last month that the Act - which prohibits fox hunting, deer hunting and hare coursing with dogs in England and Wales - violates the fundamental human rights of thousands of people whose livelihood and way of life revolve around the meet and the chase.

Between 6,000 and 8,000 were expected eventually to lose their jobs, and many would also lose the homes that went with the jobs, the Law Lords were told. Others would lose businesses and the commercial "goodwill" attached to them.

See also BBC News report  

Dunston Harriers invade Wildlife Trust nature reserve

27-11-08  Email from Hunt Watch    On the 10^th of November 2007 the Dunston Harriers meet at Popular Farm Wreningham, where they allowed their hounds to invade Lower Wood, Ashwellthorpe, which is a nature reserve owned by Norfolk Wildlife Trust. The NWT were very concerned at this incident.

Avon Vale FH Huntsman & a steward convicted of stealing monitor camera

19-11-07   HSA News Release   Camera shy? - Two Thieving Hunters Convicted    In Swindon crown court today (19th November) two hunt servants were convicted of theft of a video camera from a hunt monitor. The charges related to an incident in October 2005 involving the Avon Vale Fox Hunt, at Bromham, near Melksham in Wiltshire. The Hunt had been putting their hounds through some scrubland and hunt monitors suspected illegal hunting and started filming with a video camera in order to gain evidence of a breach of the Hunting Act 2004. A quad bike was driven at them and then David Gibbons, a hunt steward, who then grabbed hold of the female monitor. Then Malcolm Scobie, a huntsman on horseback grabbed the video camera and rode off with it.

Both were initially charged with robbery, but in court today both pleaded guilty of theft. The main reason for this guilty plea would appear to be that the event was captured on film by another monitor giving them little opportunity to launch a feasible defence.

Mr. Scobie claimed in court that he had lost his job and his home as a result of the charges, and both men were given a 12 month conditional discharge, and ordered to pay £350 compensation. They have been given two months to pay. It would appear that Mr. Scobie has however found gainful employment with another hunt, the South Hereford Fox Hunt.

Lee Moon, spokesman for the Hunt Saboteurs Association said: “Yet again we see the Hunts literally getting away with murder. They know that illegal activity will be captured on film and handed to the police, so again and again we see the hunts going after the cameras, often accompanied with violence. If foxhunts are operating within the law as they claim, then why are they so keen to remove the possibility of being filmed? What do they have to hide?

We want to see the police out there with cameras gaining evidence for themselves, and protecting legal monitors from intimidation and violence from these hunt thugs. Several cases similar to today’s are in the offing, and we hope that the courts will hand down suitably severe sentences. The fact that these two convicted criminals were not ordered to pay the costs of their prosecution means that the people of Wiltshire will have to bear the burden of bringing them to justice, and the risible sentence is no discouragement for similar behaviour in future.”

23-11-07   Wiltshire Gazette [no longer online]    Hunt supporters admit theft    A pair of hunt supporters have been ordered to pay £350 to a saboteur after admitting stealing her camera. Malcolm Scobie, 41, and David Gibbons, 52, had been charged with robbing Melanie Bates during the incident on Wednesday October 5, 2005.

But on the day of trial at Swindon crown court the two men pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of theft. And Judge Douglas Field imposed one year conditional discharges on the men and ordered they each pay £175 compensation to the owner of the camera. Miss Bates, from Reading, Berks, was using her camera to get footage of the Avon Vale hunt near Melksham. She claimed that Scobie, of Spye Park, Lacock and Gibbons, of Padfield Gardens, Melksham, had robbed her of the device. Video footage from other anti hunt activists was used in the prosecution against the two men. But the robbery charges were dropped when the two men admitted the theft of the camera.

POWAperson adds  -  The Hunt servants behaviour comes as no surprise but one has to wonder why the original charges of robbery were downgraded to the much less serious theft - and even then why the sentence was so very lenient. Their actions met the very definition of robbery - the removal of property from a person employing violence or intimidation.

Villagers get ASBO warning served on 3 JMs of Cotswold FH

Hunt had been repeatedly 'terrorising' their hamlet

One time they chased deer in garden & killed it in woods nearby 

18-11-07   Independent on Sunday [no longer online]   Cotswold ASBO campaign   After her village was terrorised by a pack of rampaging hounds, and their equally aggressive owners, Denise Ward [below left] decided to fight back. Here, she explains how she served an Asbo warning on her local Hunt.

The first time it happened was around two years ago, in mid-November. It was a beautiful day and a small group of us had got together in the hamlet. I was chatting to my elderly neighbour when we all heard a terrible noise. It was a blood-curdling, snarling uproar – as if some wild animals were smashing about in the undergrowth.

A deer came crashing down through all the gardens in the hamlet, pursued by baying hounds. It leapt along the lane past a resident it was too terrified to notice, and back up again into the woods just behind my neighbours' house, where it ran frantically up and down the slope, crashing noisily around with the hounds close behind.

As we stood there helplessly, they caught it. It screamed piteously and we could hear the hounds savaging it in loud and hideous detail. It was horrific. It was so sudden and so violent it was like a car crash. No one knew what to do; we all just stood there.

The next thing we knew, several hounds burst out of the woods into the village. They were frenetic and rampaging around. We've all got pets, and were immediately fearful for them; the hounds were out of control and we didn't know what else they were looking to kill. I'm used to animals – I've got a horse and we work with cows – but these dogs were hunting; they were like something else.

We found out later that the hunt master had lost control of the pack and the hounds had run on to the nature reserve next to our village – an open hill popular with dog-walkers and families where hunting is not allowed.

One of my neighbours managed to catch two of the dogs and tie them up. Shortly afterwards, the hunt people came out in a Land Rover, looking for their dogs. The hunt master was incredibly rude and dismissive; the only reason they even bothered to speak to us was because we had two of their dogs.

I tried to explain how dreadful and frightening it had been to hear an animal being killed like that. They had no comprehension of what I was talking about. We told them it was private land, but one of them said, "Tell me who your leader is", as if we were a tribe.

The hunt master kept coming closer to me until their face was within an inch of mine, "If you appoint a leader, we'll tell them when we are coming and that way you can put all your animals away."

Meanwhile, another hunter was brandishing a horn. I knew at that point we had to be very careful. They didn't even bother discussing the hunting ban; they claim they are trail-hunting, and that's how they get around it. We called the police but they never came. Hunt calls are apparently a low priority.

We wanted to make sure they never came back, so on the advice of a solicitor, 10 householders in the hamlet sent a formal letter to the Hunt explicitly forbidding entry on to the land. They didn't respond.

It turns out we were wasting our time. A couple of months later, on a peaceful February morning, the whole hound pack exploded into the village. They were in full cry. The noise was terrifying, something you cannot imagine unless you have been close to a pack of baying hounds. We leapt to the window. Twenty to 30 hounds were in the village, streaming up our neighbours' driveway. They milled around the house, spreading over the garden before exploding into action again.

It was clear from the noise that they were chasing something and when they got up the slope behind the houses, uproar broke out. This time the cries sounded like a smaller animal, but as a stag then roared in distress, we feared it could again be a deer. Sick with the apprehension that I would find either the remains of a village pet or a mangled deer, I climbed up to look but the hounds had gone and there were only splashes of blood.

Quite a few people I know stay in during the hunt season. There's a man on the Isle of Wight who stays in every Wednesday and Saturday when the hunt is on. His wife and grandson were outside in the back garden and the hound pack – again out of control – came over his hedge. The woman managed to grab the baby just in time. 

Last season a fox, followed by hounds, came rampaging through a children's Halloween party in a public garden near Taunton. And one woman had her pet terrier skinned alive in front of her face by hounds. Her story was in the news until they offered her compensation, along with a gagging clause. That's a common strategy.

There is a strong sense of the old rural hierarchies and power structures going on and people are afraid to speak out. The police don't do anything; they claim the laws are unenforceable. The Hunt only has to say it was an accident and that's it.

After the second invasion we decided we needed to do something. Getting a civil-law injunction against hunt trespass, the only legal tool available, is not only expensive (it costs around £10,000), but also difficult to obtain.

It was my neighbour who suggested an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (Asbo). It sounds a bit unusual but Asbos are related to repeated, anti-social behaviour. We read the legislation and realised it fitted our case in every way. By massive, concerted effort, the residents of my hamlet managed to get an Asbo warning served on the Hunt.

This was achieved because we are an articulate group of people demanding protection with the support of our MP. Initially the Asbo officer, a retired policeman, was horrified at the thought of giving an Asbo to the master of the hunt, but he found that we had a "compelling" case and went out on a limb for us. The warning was issued to three hunt masters, so this caused a bit of a ripple locally.

If we have another incident, it will be grounds for instigating a full Asbo, which would go on their record. But their attitude and the fact that they can't control their dogs means we still don't feel totally safe. No one in a hunting area is.

This is especially sad for me, because I love the autumn, and here, with the beech woods, it is especially beautiful. But for me, it is now tainted. The Hunts are out several times a week.

Resident reports illegal fox hunt near Colchester

16-11-07  Colchester Gazette    Hunters deny chasing fox   Police were called to an alleged fox hunt in Friday Woods, Colchester. A Berechurch resident called officers after spotting about 10 riders and about 30 hounds racing through the woods at noon on Wednesday. The caller claimed they had heard someone shout: "The fox went this way."

The Hunting Act 2004, which came into force in February 2005, makes it an offence to hunt a wild mammal with a dog. Under the legislation, hunting foxes with dogs is illegal, but hounds can be used to follow a pre-laid scent.

Hunters deny chasing the fox. The spokesman said that the Hunt may have disturbed a fox en route, but insisted they were carrying out a legal drag hunt only.

Crawley FH follower who broke woman sab's arm gets suspended sentence

9-11-07  BBC News    Man avoids jail after hunt attack     An elderly hunt supporter who broke the arm of a protester when he attacked her with his stick has avoided jail. John Hawkins was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm at an earlier trial, and was given a suspended jail term at Hove Crown Court on Friday.

Hawkins, 69, of Cowfold, Sussex, struck Lynn Phillips during clashes at a hunt near Horsham in January 2005. Trouble had flared between pro and anti hunt supporters at Spear Hill at the end of the Crawley and Horsham hunt. Ms Phillips said she was approached and struck twice on the head and hand by Hawkins when she was looking for a dog she believed was injured. An X-ray two days later revealed she had a broken arm, the court heard.

Andrew Selby, defending, said it was a "spur of the moment" reaction and Hawkins deeply regretted the incident.

Recorder Heather Norton told Hawkins: "Your action to strike Lynn Phillips deliberately with your stick takes this case over the threshold of the imposition of a custodial sentence. However, in my judgment, the exceptional circumstances permits me to suspend the order of imprisonment that I will impose." She sentenced him to eight months imprisonment, which was suspended for a year.

POWAperson adds  -  The Crawley FH has an appalling record of violence - see, for instance, this video  

PM linked to Hunt with 'some of the nastiest followers' - the Heythrop FH

18-10-07  Daily Mirror   David Cameron link to violent hunt - Tory Cameron linked to hunt with some of nastiest followers in Britain    Violent huntsmen who attacked elderly protesters helped propel Tory leader David Cameron to power, the Mirror can reveal today.

Members of the Heythrop Hunt have been captured on video roughing up demonstrators and damaging their cars. But they helped Mr Cameron get elected as an MP in 2001 by canvassing votes for him.

Mr Cameron openly supports hunting and pledges to end the ban on using hounds if elected. He has ridden with the Heythrop, has friends who work for it and its members work as Tory activists to help him in election campaigns. But leaked documents reveal the sickening violence behind this Hunt.

Police have repeatedly investigated it over allegations that members hunted foxes illegally. And six Heythrop supporters have been cautioned by police for attacking protesters. Anti-hunt campaigner Peter Bunce, 68, said: "We have been driven at, ridden at, sworn at, threatened, tailed and intimidated whilst monitoring the Heythrop hunt since the ban. And Cameron wants to reward such behaviour by re-legalising hunting." Former Ministry of Defence engineer Mr Bunce was knocked on to a car bonnet and his camera damaged by a hunt supporter who yelled at him: "I'm telling you to get the f*** out of it or I'll f*****g fill you in." Police cautioned his attacker.

Gran Judy Gilbert, 60, was knocked flying by a burly farmer as she filmed Heythrop which hunts near Mr Cameron's constituency in Witney, Oxfordshire, and Stowon-the-Wold, Glos. She said: "It was terrifying. I felt a painful massive thud in my back and suddenly I was in mid air. I went headlong and landed in bramble bushes about 6ft down the steep slope. It was difficult to get up and my hands were bleeding. I was shaking, feeling sick and shocked and appalled that someone could behave that way towards a woman. Once I got to my vehicle I saw the hunt followers laughing and jeering. The whole thing was sickening. My attacker was cautioned but has never apologised to me."

In March, another Heythrop Hunt supporter was fined £80 for trying to run over a woman. Others have been fined or cautioned for trying to sabotage cars, including putting nails stuck in Mars bars under their tyres, stealing a CB radio aerial and kicking vehicles. Mr Cameron - who has shot deer in Scotland, and ridden with the Old Berks Hunt, run by his wife's stepfather Lord Astor - wants to repeal the 2005 fox hunting ban. He has said: "We've passed a law that everyone is openly flouting and it makes the law look stupid."

Guy Avis, secretary of the Heythrop Hunt [above right, with Cameron], is friends with Mr Cameron and recruited volunteers to his election campaign because he was a "very supportive" candidate. Roderick Fleming, also a Heythrop backer, is based at Mr Cameron's Chipping Norton HQ. He and the owner of Heythrop Park, the Hunt's historic home, have made sizeable political donations to the Tories.

Mr Avis said yesterday: "Those antis are bloody annoying. They are asking for it." But when asked about pensioners being attacked, he replied: "I'm not condoning that but I don't know anything about it. We abide fully with the law. I don't know anything about these cautions and accusations."

Mr Avis also claimed it was a coincidence that hounds were caught on film chasing a fox. He added: "There are occasions when foxes appear during the hunt and the hounds being hounds chase them. There's nothing we can do. There has been one time since the ban that we accidentally killed a fox but we informed the police. We use trails like most hunts. This footage could mean anything. It could happen if the fox runs across the trail. If this is what it shows then that is what must have happened."

POWAperson adds  -  For more about the nastiness of the Heythrop FH see here 

Crawley FH follower convicted of GBH after broke female sab's arm

11-10-07   realca.co.uk [no longer online]    John Hawkins, a supporter of the Crawley and Horsham Hunt has been found guilty of breaking an anti-hunt Campaigner's Arm in an unprovoked attack.
The jury at Brighton Crown Court (Lewes Combined Court) found John Hawkins a 69 year old supporter guilty of Grievous Bodily harm, after deliberating for more than nine hours to reach a majority verdict. Hawkins, who runs a private slaughter house at Singers Farm, Cowfold, will be sentenced on November 8th.

The case relates to an incident on 29th January 2005, where Hawkins struck anti-hunt campaigner, Lynn Phillips with a stick, causing a "night-stick fracture" of the forearm. This is a fracture caused where a person brings their arm up to defend their head from an overhead blow. The incident ocured at Spear Hill, near Ashington, West Sussex.

At the time fox hunting was still legal, but parliament had voted to ban hunting with dogs. Hunt supporters were furious, and two months before the incident, the Crawley and Horsham hunt master, Kim Richardson issued a chilling threat to anti hunt campaigners: "You are all fair game now, I've fucking told everyone."

Richardson is the son of the late Sir Michael Richardson, who was known as "Mr Privatisation" and was a darling of Lady Thatcher. Mind you, General Pinochet was a darling of lady Thatcher also!
Following the incident and while Ms Phillips was being taken for medical treatment in the West Sussex Wildlife Protection Group's minibus, the driver was assaulted by a hunt supporter (Surrey Union Whipper in, Andrew Hazletine), while another hunt supporter (Surrey Union hunt groom, Joscelyn Cleveland) stole the keys. Both hunt supporters later received formal police cautions, with thief Cleveland paying compensation in an out of court settlement.

Blackmore FH hounds badly injure pet terrier being walked

4-10-07  Western Gazette [no longer online]   Horror as hounds savage pet terrier   The heartbroken owners of a pet dog have spoken of their devastation after it was mauled in an attack by hounds last week.

On Monday morning John Pettinger was walking his nine-month-old Jack Russell called Spike on its lead when it was pounced on by a 30-strong pack belonging to the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt. Mr Pettinger, aged 60, managed to break them free but only after Spike suffered serious injuries and "will never be the same again."

His wife Julie, 59, said: "John was stuck in one corner and the hounds came flooding through the gate 300 yards away. There were 20-30 of them and they went straight for Spike. But by the time John got them away the damage was already done."

Spike was taken straight to the vets in Wincanton and is now recovering from his injuries at their home in Charlton Horethorne. She said: "They tore all his tummy and a lot of skin off his leg, narrowly missing vital organs."

A spokesman for the Hunt said they had permission from the farm owner to be on the land but Mrs Pettinger said more controls needed to be introduced as it is a popular walking spot for dog owners.

She said: "They had no whistle or horn and nothing to control them and how can they be free to do something like this with no provocation? Everyone here is very concerned. It has always been a safe place to walk dogs. If he had not been on a lead, they would have killed him. It could have been a child, God knows what would have happened.”

A spokesman for the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale hunt said: "The staff of the hunt were very concerned for the terrier's welfare after this accident happened. Hunt staff have a wealth of experience with dogs and hounds and wanted to help as much as they could. We have a very good relationship with the farmer whose land it is and have permission to use all the land."

AUGUST 2007

….. 30th August - Minehead Harriers JM, Huntsman & Whip summonsed for illegal hunting

….. 25th August - Retired racehorse trainer among 3 charged over hare coursing event

….. 15th August - Tiverton SH Huntsman not punished for letting hounds kill pet terrier

…..  4th August - Cattistock FH filmed cub hunting early in morning

Tiverton SH Huntsman not punished for letting hounds kill pet terrier

15-8-07   Daily Mirror   Hunt that killed pet is let off   A huntsman was yesterday cleared of letting his hounds rip a terrier apart after a judge said: "Dogs will be dogs." A huntsman was yesterday cleared of letting his hounds rip a terrier apart after a judge said: "Dogs will be dogs."

Judge Jeremy Griggs ordered the jury to find John Norrish not guilty after hearing his hounds had previously been allowed to roam through the private garden where the attack took place.

Christine Hodgson, 59 - whose terrier Pippa had to be put down after the attack - had accepted £1,000 compensation from the Hunt and a further £450 to buy a new dog. Tiverton Staghounds also paid her vet bills and put down the hound that led the attack, Exeter crown court heard.

Judge Griggs ruled the case was flawed as Mrs Hodgson admitted she regularly allowed the hounds in her garden in East Worlington, Devon. She also said a fence around the garden had been recently removed. Judge Griggs said: "What happened was appalling but unforeseen. Dogs will be dogs."

13-8-07   BBC News   Pet terrier torn apart by hounds    A senior magistrate fought with a pack of staghounds as they ripped apart her pet terrier, a court has heard.

Catherine Hodgson, 59, from Devon beat the Tiverton staghounds as they "peeled apart" her jack russell Pippa. When they refused to let go she used her hands and body as a human shield to try and protect her 14-year-old pet.

John Norrish, from the East Worlington kennels, has pleaded not guilty at Exeter Crown Court to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Mrs Hodgson told Exeter Crown Court how she had let Pippa and her other terrier out at as she was preparing breakfast at her farmhouse in East Worlington. By the time Tiverton Staghounds hunt staff called the staghounds off, Pippa was badly injured. She was later put to sleep by a vet.

Mrs Hodgson said: "I took hold of Pippa and I tried to beat the dogs off but they obviously weren't going to let go. One hound was attached to the front of her neck and the other to her back, she was getting peeled apart. Pippa was bleeding very badly and all the other hounds were piling in on top of her. The only way I could stop them was to try and cover her with my body." 

The garden of Mrs Hodgson's property opens directly onto a country lane regularly used by Huntsman John Norrish, who is based at kennels two miles away. The court heard that Mr Norrish decided to take the main pack back to kennels before returning to apologise.

Mr Norrish, who lives at the East Worlington kennels, has pleaded not guilty to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act alleging that he allowed dogs to enter a private place without permission and inflict injuries on Mrs Hodgson. Mrs Hodgson, who together with her husband farmed on Exmoor for 30 years, was later treated for scratch wounds by her doctor.

The incident happened on 12 August 2006. The case continues.

Cattistock FH filmed cub hunting early in morning

Fox chased through churchyard

4-8-07   HSA Press Release  [no longer online]  Cattistock FH cub hunting   This is the Cattistock FH cub hunting near Corscombe, Dorset - meet 6.30am 4th August 2007. Huntsman and Whipper-in in tweed jackets to avoid identification, less than 10 riders, hardly any support, no police, apparently cub hunting as normal. It is reported a fox ran through St Mary's churchyard with hounds in full cry not far behind. It's fate is not known.

Unfortunately the film is no longer available 

Middleton FH riders, inc. ex-JM, accused of entering ringer in race

12-7-07  North West Hunt Sabs Assoc     On 12/7/07 Charles Gundry, the former master of Middleton Hunt, was accused of entering a ringer in a point-to-point race. Horse owner Robert Tierney and his son, Richard, from Malton, North Yorkshire, have also been charged, as have Roger Marley and his wife, Ruth, from Langtoft, between Malton and Driffield. The charges were issued by the Horseracing Regulatory Authority (HRA) following a six-month investigation by its officers. The inquiry centred on three point-to-point races that took place last year. It is alleged that the horse was entered in a race as another ride during the Staintondale Point-to-Point. The horse was prevented from running after stewards became suspicious of its identity. Robert and Richard Tierney face two charges, Gundry, Robert Tierney and Roger and Ruth Marley have been charged for the alleged substitution. The four have also been accused of misleading HRA officers during an interview. Robert Tierney faces a separate charge of using threatening behaviour towards a witness. The HRA will conduct two inquiries into the alleged substitutions. No date has yet been set. The five face disqualification from racing if they are found guilty.

UPDATE   At a later HRA hearing all defendants were found guilty. Robert Tierney was banned from racing for 72 months, Roger Marley for 26 months. Tierney was again found guilty of the same offence the next year and this time banned for 91 months. Sanctions imposed on the others, including the former Middleton FH JM not known.

Isle of Wight FH 4 plead NG, will rely on Falconry Exemption

2-7-07   North West Hunt Sabs Assoc   On 2/7/07, four men from the Isle of Wight pleaded not guilty to illegally hunting with dogs in a private prosecution brought by the League Against Cruel Sports. Stuart Trousdale (huntsman of the Isle of Wight Foxhounds) , of The Kennels, Gatcombe , Jamie Butcher, of Ashey Road, Ryde, and Liam Thom, of Highwood Lane, Rookley, are charged with hunting a fox with dogs. Malcolm Purcell, of Blackwater Mill Farm, Blackwater, is charged with hunting with dogs. They are expected to argue they were using an eagle owl, in the case brought by the LACS.

It is the first time the falconry exemption would be tested in the courts since the Hunting Act came into force in February 2005. The League Against Cruel Sports brought the prosecution at Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed with the case against the men. The case was adjourned for a pre-trial review at the Newport court on 17/9/07.