Cheshire FH Whip gets Community Order for railway trespass

29-6-18   Facebook - Cheshire Monitors   VIDEO    Cheshire FH Whipper in receives community resolution order over railway trespass    We've witnessed the Cheshire Hounds hunt trespassing on a railway line on a previous occasion, with 'Fieldmaster' Keith Shore plus another figure (carrying a loaded shotgun, no less) wandering along the line at Beeston. More recently, we stumbled across Whipper In Jamie Whittles on the line at Marbury looking for a stray hound. As we all know, of course, this Hunt don't understand the definition of 'trespass'.

Campaigns director Chris Luffingham said: “These alarming figures indicate the sheer scale of brutal and illegal hunting activity still taking place across the British countryside 13 years after the ban came into force. “Foxes and hares are being literally torn to pieces by packs of hounds while exhausted deer are being chased for hours on end before being shot. The Mirror’s figures indicate that 95% of those allegedly hunting illegally get away with it so we need the police to put more resources and develop their expertise to properly tackle wildlife crime. We need to strengthen the Hunting Act and introduce prison sentences for those convicted of illegal hunting as we need a strong deterrent. Currently those who enjoy killing animals for fun get away with a slap on the wrist and are simply fined and then back out hunting the following day.”

Police chiefs said reports were often invalid or “inadequate” but forces were working to improve prosecution rates. The 2004 Hunting Act banned the chasing of wild animals, including hares, stags and foxes, by two dogs or more. It came into force in February 2005 and polls consistently show it enjoys support of about 80% of voters. Details included in the responses revealed that 51 arrests were for alleged hare coursing, 18 arrests were for suspected deer hunting, six for allegations of rabbit hunting and just four for suspected illegal fox hunting.

National Police Chiefs’ Council hunting spokesman, Deputy Chief Constable Paul Netherton [pic left], said: “Police forces receive a large number of reports of illegal hunting activity. Unfortunately many of these reports are invalid and the evidence supplied to forces is often inadequate, meaning that police officers are unable to take action. We are committed to cracking down on illegal hunting and want to help improve the quality of evidence submitted to police forces. We are working with the League Against Cruel Sports to achieve this and using their guidance to help protest groups to provide usable evidence. Officers will be undertaking up-to-date training on how to effectively respond to illegal hunting and we are working with the Crown Prosecution Service in an effort to improve prosecution rates.”

POWAperson comments - The 5% figure in the headline is misleading. The vast majority of these arrests are of low-life, trespassing, hare and fox coursers. The % of people from organised Hunts who are arrested when they hunt illegally [which most do most of the time] is minuscule. Indeed, in some force areas, the witnesses reporting the illegal hunting are probably more likely to be arrested than are the criminals. In the 13 years since the Hunting Act came in only 100 people from organised Hunts have been charged with illegal hunting. Only 35 were convicted or cautioned - less than 3 per year. 39% of those charged had their cases dropped before or during trial. No less a figure than a former Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service has said that the hunting ban is being 'extensively flouted' by organised Hunts. There are still over 250 Hunts in England and Wales. Reports from monitors and sabs suggest that almost all of them illegally hunt live quarry most of the time. The Hunting Act is riddled with weak wording and loopholes which provide police and CPS - usually reluctant to take on Hunts' expensive lawyers - with plenty of excuses not to prosecute, even in the most blatant of cases.

One witness commented: “We saw riders cheering immediately following the kill, giving thumbs-up to one another, and even taking nips of whiskey from their saddle flasks. I recognised one of them as Liz Gorse.” Elizabeth Gorse is a joint master of the hunt – and domestic vet at Rose Cottage Vets in Sutton Weaver – who had been seen looking on as the kill took place; at a late stage in the investigation she came forward as the (so called) ‘trail layer’ on the day, something, we are led to believe, she wasn’t required to prove.

Members of our team were present on the day, and one clarifies: “We were around all day from early morning, and we certainly didn’t see anyone laying a trail. In fact, none of us have ever seen this Hunt lay a trail in all the years our group has been monitoring them. It just doesn’t happen.”

A number of anti-hunting groups were present on the day, including Cheshire Hunt Saboteurs and Bath Hunt Saboteurs, and have been involved in the case. All parties understand the difficulties in prosecuting under the Hunting Act 2004, commonly considered to be an incredibly flawed piece of legislation. However, reasons given by the CPS for not proceeding were numerous and, in our opinion, highly questionable. Furthermore, witnesses were told that appealing their decision would not be allowed.

This case is clear proof of how the current legislation to stop this kind of barbarity needs strengthening urgently. Fox hunting in its traditional form is a repugnant hobby to the vast majority of people, and will clearly never return. It has now been illegal for more than 13 years, and hunts have had all that time to adapt their behaviour to one that doesn’t involve the killing of foxes – whether intentionally or by accident – but they haven’t made any attempt to do so. All they have come up with is to claim they are ‘trail hunting’, which even the general public now understand to be merely a ruse to hide the truth.

The Hunt claim this kill was an accident, of course; they know that’s all they have to say to get awaywith it. We know this claim isn’t true, but even if it was, if you train hounds using real fox scent, and then take them hunting in areas known to contain foxes, then what can you expect?Enough is enough. The current situation is clearly ludicrous, and now is the time to plug the gaping holes in current legislation and put an end to this cruelty once and for all. This doesn't end here... please stay tuned to this page. In the meantime, please share this post and send an email as details below - Please take a moment to complain about CPS Mersey-Cheshire to Siobhan Blake, their Chief Crown Prosecutor at siobhan.blake@cps.gov.uk, and john Dilworth, their Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, at john.dilworth@cps.gov.uk. If you receive no satisfactory response from either then please contact Stephen Shaw CBE, Independent Assessor of Complaints for the CPS , by email: IAComplaints@cps.gsi.gov.uk (Further details can be found at https://www.cps.gov.uk/feedback-and-complaints). Case reference number 07W20561318. Also, if you live in Cheshire, please contact your local MP to lodge your complaints about this case and continued concerns about the serial fox-killing Cheshire Forest Hunt. [Release of video evidence to follow]

Pics above  -  Top right - Remains of killed fox    Left  -  Huntsman and terrierman watch as hounds kill fox    Bottom right -  Hound eating dead fox

25-6-18   Facebook - Bath Hunt Saboteurs     Cheshire police & CPS give licence to kill     On Boxing Day 2017, whilst our main group were successfully sabbing a meet of the Woolaston Bassets, one of our sabs joined up with Cheshire Hunt Saboteurs to sab the Cheshire Forest Hunt, who met at the Three Greyhounds pub at Allostock - (please leave them a review at https://www.facebook.com/threegreyhoundsinn). Also present were Cheshire Monitors. There was a great display of opposition to the hunt by local protesters, who booed the Hunt as they attempted to parade past. Soon after the Hunt left the meet a fox was seen fleeing from a nearby farm. It was followed suspiciously by two terriermen and we believe this could have been a 'bagged' fox - taken either the night before or that morning to be released before the hunt to ensure a 'good day's sport' for them.

With two sab teams and the monitors, we managed to keep track of the Hunt for most of the day. At around 1330 the monitors alerted us that hounds were in cry close to Crowders Lane, Lach Dennis in Northwich. There we found the hunt positioned as per cubbing around a dense covert; where they surround the covert on horses ready to scare a fox back in should it try to escape. Sabs and Monitors were ridden at in an attempt to stop them from getting to the hounds.

Undeterred we got to the area where the hounds were in cry and found Andrew German, the Huntsman, off his horse and leading - not following - the hounds through the covert making voice and horn calls to encourage them on. A very strong smell of fox was present, indicating that the fox was very stressed - the more anxious foxes are, the greater the scent they release. A holloa was heard; this is where hunt support whoop to indicate they have seen a fox. German took the hounds with voice and horn calls in this direction with sabs in close pursuit. He was then heard to make a brrrr sound, which is a voice call used to scare a fox back towards the hounds.

German was told numerous times to call the hounds off the fox but did not do so. German was hunting in a covert, off of his horse, with terrierman Shaun Watson. The supposed 'trail layer' was present as one of those surrounding the covert. All the 'trail layer'* had to do was tell the police they had laid a trail that day- no evidence was required. Neither sabs nor monitors saw a trail being laid and this hunt has never been seen to lay a trail previously. Before the kill the hounds had been searching for around 30-40 minutes through dense undergrowth that was not accessible to riders, German knew there was likely to be a fox in that area and he admitted it on camera.

Using voice calls and citronella spray we tried to take the hounds off the fox's scent and believed we had been successful but just outside a barn in the covert, the hounds were discovered with what was left of the young male fox's body, we were just moments too late. It was a horrific end to the day and sabs and monitors were understandably devastated.

German looked gleefully on as the fox was ripped apart and sickeningly blew a kiss to the camera. The hunt support were pleased with the result of their day's 'sport', with celebratory drinks all round and thumbs up to each other. A sab removed the fox’s body, which was sent away afterwards for a post mortem. We returned to the barn and found items which led us to believe that the fox had been encouraged to live in there, including a dog bed and fresh straw. There was also a fox skeleton strung up from the rafter with rope. The post mortem results showed that the fox had been more than likely killed by hounds and had just cat food in his stomach, adding weight to our opinion that this was a fox that had been kept by the hunt for the purposes of being hunted, there being no nearby houses who could have fed him.

Statements and footage were given to Cheshire Police and the overwhelming evidence was then handed over to CPS Mersey-Cheshire. What followed was what we believe to be a deliberate delay tactic, with their decision to drop the case for 'lack of evidence' being given to us despite repeated chasing just days before the six month prosecution deadline expired. When we requested that they appeal against the decision, Cheshire Police refused. Although the police officers we had dealt with during the investigation had been helpful, it seems those higher up have an interest in German not being prosecuted. Hunt Support have said to Cheshire Monitors previously that German will never be charged with an offence, as he is being protected by those in high places. We will leave you to draw your own conclusions on this.

We have named the poor fox who died in such a horrific way Noel, given that it was Christmas time, and we will continue to fight for #JusticeForNoel. A video is being produced showing our footage from the day, which we hope to release very soon... #PoliceCorruption #NoJusticeJustUs.

To make a complaint to the CPS Mersey-Cheshire for enabling hunts repeatedly to break the law and go unpunished, please contact them: - Stephen Shaw CBE, Independent Assessor of Complaints for the CPS - by email:- IAComplaints@cps.gsi.gov.ukby email: IAComplaints@cps.gsi.gov.uk or by post to c/o Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS.

The supposed 'trail layer' was Elizabeth Gorse; Director of Rose Cottage Veterinary Centre Ltd, Runcorn and Director of the Cheshire Forest Hunt. If you feel that a person who enjoys murdering innocent animals should not be trusted to treat people's beloved pets, please feel free to contact Rose Cottage Veterinary Centre, Runcorn.

To complain against Cheshire Police for not appealing the CPS' ludicrous decision, please go to:- https://www.cheshire.police.uk/contact/make-a-complaint/.

Pics above  -    1/  Sab retrieves mangled remains of dead fox    2/  Huntsman & terrierman smug, having just watched hounds kill fox    3 - JM [and vet] Elizabeth Gorse, soon after fox kill   

"By allowing the two men to walk free from court, this may be interpreted as giving a ‘green light’ for hunt supporters to commit serious assaults against local residents, charity staff or any other individual who may observe or be in the vicinity of a hunt." 

Mr Cunnington and his colleague, Roger Swaine were working as investigators for the League Against Cruel Sports and had been filming the activities of the Belvoir Hunt in Leicestershire in March 2016 when they were attacked by six men. George Grant, 57, who is a terrierman for the hunt and Thomas, 25, his son admitted grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, the theft of a camera and damage to an SD card. While Mr Grant senior did not physically attack Mr Cunnington himself, the court heard that the attack was a "joint venture" between him and the other men, four of whom have never been identified.

Mr Cunnington said: "They were completely dressed in black. They had got black balaclavas on so you could only see their eyes, and as soon as they got out of the vehicle they jumped on myself and Roger. Two or three approached me and basically kicked my walking pole out of my hand. As I bent down to pick it up I got punched in the chest, punched in the face, and one of them grabbed me and pushed me straight backwards off this 14ft drop." 

When the Grants appeared for sentencing last month, Judge Jinder Singh Boora told them: "Both of you flipped. Neither of you are by nature violent men." But Sir Ranulph said the evidence put before the court did not support that and he asked Mr Wright to consider overruling the judge's sentence. He said he feared the reference offered by Lady McCorquodale - who is Diana's older sister - may have swayed the judge when he was considering his sentence. She had written to the court explaining that Mr Grant senior would lose his job and home if he was jailed. She also told Leicester Crown Court that he was "very hardworking, good at his job", adding that she had "never seen him lose his temper like that".

The Attorney General's office has 28 days to consider whether the original sentence is appropriate.

Also covered by BBC News 

POWAperson comments - Lord Bach then needs to get a firm grip on those parts of Leicestershire police who appear to show blatant favouritism to Hunts, especially the Atherstone FH.

They are also a species whose young emit a high-pitched whistle when they lose contact with their mother, according to experts. Tragically there is no happy ending if the mother doe is killed by the hunt today. This isn’t Bambi. This isn’t a novel or a film. The youngster dies too. This is happening. It’s happening here, and it’s happening now. 

The hunting is now confined to Devon and Somerset, although the League occasionally gets reports from around the country of fox hunts killing roe deer. It’s not as well-known as the hunting of red deer, Britain’s largest mammal, which also takes place in the west country. 

Three large, well-supported and financed hunts, chase and kill red deer. One of these, the Devon and Somerset Staghounds, exploits loopholes in the UK’s hunting law – the Research and Observation loophole – which many have caustically compared to the excuses used by the Japanese whaling fleet. The other two hunts – the Quantock Staghounds and Tiverton Staghounds – just hunt. Legally or illegally, they don’t seem to care. Killing is their passion.

The two surviving roe deer hunts are the Exe Valley Buckhounds and the Cheldon Buckhounds, throwbacks to an earlier age. The two hunts are secretive, with shadowy, operating practices. They are not much loved. They lack the big crowds which follow the red deer hunts, though in May, when the red deer hunts have stopped, they attract a few of the latter’s more ardent and barbaric supporters desperate for more blood. They generally meet in pubs and the alcohol fuels the violence they display towards the deer. 

The Cheldon Buckhounds are also known for their violence towards people monitoring their activity and masked followers recently broke the skull of an individual from a hunt saboteur group [above left]. The roe deer hunts are even shunned by the red deer hunts. Following a particularly unpleasant incident in the 1990s, the Master of Deer Hounds Association turned their back on them.

Paul Tillsey, the League’s Head of Conservation and Education, recently photographed the Exe Valley Buckhounds meeting next to St John’s Wood, a piece of land in Somerset, purchased by Sir Paul McCartney in the 1990s for the League Against Cruel Sports, to provide a sanctuary for deer.

He has also had the misfortune to witness the same hunt kill a roe deer before the hunting ban was introduced and has also seen the hunt chasing a roe deer recently. He saw their hounds chase a deer along a stream under the A396, witnessing the terrified animal trying to escape as it moved from one patch of woodland into another. This time he didn’t know the fate of the poor creature.

Kevin Hill worked for the League back in the 1990s and filmed the Cheldon Buckhounds as a huntmember dragged a distressed roe deer off the fence of a League Sanctuary, sat on it for many minutes [right] before bundling it in to a Land Rover that had subsequently arrived, before it was undoubtedly killed. Kevin then went undercover and followed the deer hunts, posing as a supporter and uncovering the brutal and bloodthirsty practices taking place before the hunting ban. 

Kevin spoke passionately about his memories of witnessing a roe deer being hunted, saying: “There is no defence for subjecting a roe deer to the suffering it sustains during a hunt. This small beautiful deer does not have the strength for long runs and will be chased to complete exhaustion until it is unable to move. I have witnessed a roe deer at the end of a hunt – the scene of a hunter restraining the deer will be with me forever.” 

The horrible truth is that hunting is still taking place today. We know, thanks to a blatant admission in the Horse and Hounds magazine, that hundreds of red deer are being slaughtered by the Devon and Somerset Staghounds every year. We know too that roe deer are also being targeted. We don’t know yet how many are being killed. We do know it needs to be stopped. And quickly. 

We’re calling on the Hunting Act to be strengthened and for any loopholes in it to be closed. We’re calling for effective deterrents such as custodial sentences to be brought in. We’re calling for an end to the slaughter. The cruelty. The sheer, bestial savagery that is still taking place. C’mon everyone. Let’s all stand up for Bambi.

PETITION - If you want to see an end to the killing of animals by hunts in the UK, please sign the League’s petition, stop the killing of animals by hunts in the UK, here.

So we are starting a campaign to expose Operation Blackthorn and to highlight exactly what treatment this group has suffered at the hands of Leicestershire police in their attempt to protect their hunting friends. Please consider donating to help us to continue campaigning: https://www.paypal.me/westmidlandhuntsabs.

W.Mids Sabs website article re. Operation Blackthorn is here. 

On his crowdfunding website, Casamitjana says that this belief has “informed my daily existence, including my career and employment”. It was only after checking the small print on the League’s pension, he says, that he discovered it was apparently “investing in companies, including pharmaceutical and tobacco companies, who are known to engage in animal testing”.

He had previously worked for the league from 2004 to 2007 and is understood to have had no problems with its pension fund investments then. But the fund changed its investment strategy three years ago. On the website Casamitjana, who returned to the league in 2016 as head of policy and research, said: “When I wrote to my colleagues to tell them that their pension was being invested in non-ethical funds, and that there were alternatives to the single alternative that the company was suggesting, I was sacked. I was given no appeal hearing.” Casamitjana was dismissed in April.

The League explained to the Observer that, until 2015, its staff were automatically enrolled into an “ethical” pension fund, but the Financial Conduct Authority, the body responsible for pensions, changed the regulations and the fund became ineligible. We followed financial advice and changed our pension, while still offering the chance for individuals to change their own fund to an ethical fund,” said Andrew Knott, the league’s interim chief executive. “Mr Casamitjana was not dismissed because he raised concerns about the pension, either internally or externally, so there is no substance to his claims that he was ‘whistleblowing’. All staff were informed about the situation and the processes in place to enable them to make their own choices. The reason for his dismissal is different from that which he states but clearly this is confidential information which we are respecting.”

The case comes at a difficult time for the League. Its chief executive has stood down for health reasons and its chair is due to depart soon. Given the nature of our work, the League is often the subject of attacks from all sorts of quarters,” Knott said. “As a charity, we hold the views of our colleagues and supporters dear. While our main focus is on preventing cruel animal sports, we of course have many vegans in our workplace. We share vegan practices across our wider staff and when meeting with supporters, many of whom are not vegan. We reject any suggestions otherwise.”

When approached for comment, Casamitjana said: “Regrettably, I have been forced into a position where I am required to litigate to protect my rights as an employee and an ethical vegan. However I have no desire to cause any unnecessary difficulty for the charity or the wider animal protection movement. As a result, I will not be making a public statement at this time, save for the statement I have had to make in order to crowdfund my legal fees.”

LACS statement of their staff pensions investment and Jordi's case is here. 

Whilst all this was going on a separate South Wales sab team was sett mapping in one of the new cull zones. You can help keep us in the fields for the price of a coffee @ http://ko-fi.com/swhuntsabs. Thank you.

17-6-18    Facebook - Devon County Hunt Saboteurs    ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER ROBBERY ON OUR SABS     Yesterday we paid another visit to the Culmstock Otter Hunt, together with sabs from Bristol Hunt Saboteurs, Bath Hunt Saboteurs and South Wales Hunt Saboteurs. We turned up at their kennels just after Huntsman Mickey Hibberd arrived with the trailer to load up the hounds. To our surprise, Mickey donned a balaclava for the occasion. We're not sure why, seeing as he didn't bother to cover his face last time and had made a point of calling sabs cowards for covering their faces. "You only cover your face if you have something to hide", he said on that occasion. Hmm...

Our presence delayed the hunt from leaving the kennels until the afternoon as they made frantic phone calls to all their 'loyal supporters' to lend them a hand. Just three of the usual suspects obliged: Modbury Harriers terrier boy Mark Warnett, Dart Vale & South Pool Harriers terrier boy George Bailey and the ever-amusing Marie Walters, who stopped off for a burger at Mole Valley Farmers on her way to the kennels.

They pushed and shoved, made threats about knowing where we all live and told us how they were looking forward to killing lots of animals. Mark Warnett: "I kill animals all the time. I just like watching my dogs do it". Eventually they decided to call the police as they weren't getting their way. 5 police vehicles turned up from Cullompton and Honiton to escort the Hunt out of the kennels and block our vehicles.

Sab vehicles went off in different directions to catch up with the hounds. Not long after, we received a call to say that two of our sabs who were waiting to be picked up on the main road had just been violently attacked by a few latecomer thugs driving a black Mitsubishi. The two thugs were wearing full balaclavas and got out of their vehicle to punch one of our sabs in the face, injuring his jaw. As he was knocked back, they stole the radio from his hand. They got back in their vehicle just as a police car drove past and our sabs flagged them down. Police went in pursuit and managed to confirm the thugs' number-plate but were unable to stop the vehicle. Fortunately, we have footage of the incident and police are investigating.

This is the true ugly face of the Culmstock Hunt. When they're unable to get their kicks by killing animals, they go after humans instead. Unlucky for them, they are the only mink hunt in our neck of the woods, so if they wanted our attention, they've certainly got it now. See you again soon!

To join us or find out how you can help, contact us via Facebook or email to devoncountysabs@riseup.net. If you are in a position to help us replace the stolen radio, you can do so via https://www.paypal.me/dchs.

POWAperson adds -  A photo [above left] with this report shows what appears to be a large dead hare being dangled in front of a sab by, presumably, a hunt follower. I don't know how or when this hare was killed nor why it's not mentioned in the report.  

A Breakthrough - The Oakley’s opening meet of the season is always traditionally held at a venue called the Dower House in Melchbourne, Bedfordshire [above right]. The location is in the same village as the Oakley Kennels and in the heart of their country and support. This location has recently opened its doors as a business for hosting weddings.

Now, I seem to remember someone mentioning the owner as being a “Jason” and as this was now a registered business I popped over to Companies house and did a search to see who indeed owned the business. Sure enough a Jason Gordon was listed as a Director, along with a female who I assumed was his wife, Alexandra Gordon.

Now the logical next step was to do a quick Google search for Jason Gordon to see what popped up. Needless to say I think I’d found my man. So things were getting interesting now. We have a very senior police officer (Detective Chief Inspector - pic left) with connections to a Hunt. Was he still a serving officer? A search for a Linked In profile produced this:-  It would seem he left the police around March 2015 and then took up the role of an Inspector with the HMIC. For those that don’t know the HMIC is the independent body which;- “Independently assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire & rescue services – in the public interest.”

So, in essence, he works for the service that polices the police and was definitely an acting officer when the incidents of the multiple attending units took place. His role at that time was head of the Serious Crime Office for the tri-force area, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. This guy had some serious clout and ironically also worked for the professional standards department!

Now bells were ringing loudly in my head, this guy looked very familiar and I recollected a couple of incidents from the past where we were treated exceptionally badly by the police present on the day. He was present at least one of these but referred to himself ‘Jim’ [right, at kennels, Mar '17]. Jason Gordon was known to his friends as Jim. So not only was Jim hosting the hunt as his house but it would seem he was a regular rider and someone of some influence not only with the police but also within the hunt. Further investigation revealed he was also listed as a master of the Oakley, from 1996-98 and again between 2004-06 which was incidentally the transition period when the ban on hunting with hounds came it.

If you look at the full photo right [on FB page] you’ll notice the police vehicle in the background parked in the Oakley kennels. Had Jim been speaking to the officers present and using his previous position to influence they way they behaved? A couple of seasons ago a previous Master of the Oakley, Guy Napier was less an than impressed with the violent behaviour of the thugs that followed the Oakley and did their dirty work. This included assaulting monitors/sabs, theft of their equipment and preventing them from accessing public rights of way. However Mr Napier was clear he didn’t want the Hunt to be associated with these people and in his defence they were instructed not to attend further Oakley meets. Unfortunately Mr Napier left the Oakley the following season and now the thugs have been welcomed back even though some now have multiple convictions for assault.

I think it would be safe to assume that Mr Gordon (given his connections) would be well aware of the violent record of these people and willingly accepts them and their behaviour provided they are of service to the hunt. Here [below] you can see Jim (with a female) once again riding with the Oakley. In front of him, on the left hand image, is Kelvin Pestel, hunt supporter and well known thug who is often present and likes to target female sabs in particular. Despite any protestations to the contrary, Mr Gordon is no doubt linked to them and accepts their thuggish actions.

So the implications seem fairly clear. Have we had a previously high ranking police officer and member of professional standards department bending the rules to suit his dirty little hobby and also wasting large sums of public money at the same time? Was he still using this influence to his advantage with local policing and was he advising the Hunt on the best way to carry on hunting while remaining free from prosecution? The Oakley openly hunt and make no pretence of laying a trail or using any other exemptions. The image below right was taken during one of their hunts last season, a day when Jim was once again riding with the Hunt.

We have built a good working relationship recently with Bedfordshire police with meetings and open discussions regarding hunting and the policing of, and I don’t believe any of the officers we met with were aware of this situation. If they were they certainly didn’t make it known to me. To say there was (and maybe still is) a conflict of interest here is an understatement and while people like Jason “Jim” Gordon are riding with Hunts its easy to see why so little action against them takes place.

Although the HMIC is an independent body you may with to write to them and ask a few questions. They can be contacted here. Should this man be part of an organisation whose role is described below? I don’t think so.

“Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) independently assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire & rescue services – in the public interest. In preparing our reports, we ask the questions that citizens would ask, and publish the answers in accessible form, using our expertise to interpret the evidence and make recommendations for improvement. We provide authoritative information to allow the public to compare the performance of their police force – and, in future, their fire & rescue service – against others. Our evidence is used to drive improvements in the services they provide to the public.”

Help keep us active by donating here: https://ko-fi.com/bedsbuckshuntsabs

The League’s director of campaigns, Chris Luffingham, said: “The only contentious thing here is the committee’s decision. Public opinion on hunting is clear with 81 percent of people living in rural areas supporting the ban on fox hunting, so perhaps we need to question why conversation around the subject is being silenced at a countryside event." He added: "The League is a professional organisation and our team of investigators, who are led by a former chief inspector and head of the police’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, work legally and peacefully to investigate illegal hunting. To hear that one of our supporters is being prevented from engaging with their local community on genuine animal welfare issues is extremely disappointing and sets a very disturbing precedent.”

Chairman of Bromyard Gala committee Steve Matthews said: "We can't have political type stalls. It is classed as political."

POWAperson comments  -  Local League groups are currently being encouraged and supported by LACS, which is good to see. Just a little shame that Karen said 'trail hunting' when I'm sure she meant 'drag hunting'. The former is little more than an alibi invented and used to disguise continued live quarry hunting. 

We will be with the Atherstone Hunt next season making sure they don’t kill any foxes, please consider donating to help us make this possible https://gogetfunding.com/west-midlands-hunt-sabs-vehicle-r…/. We now have a YouTube channel please subscribe to it to keep up to date with our latest videos. https://youtu.be/-1fSOiXjk4k.

The Hunt had managed to get around 100m away from their meet at Mill Farm near Milton Keynes, when they were spotted using long range lenses from across the wheat fields. With a pack of mixed foxhounds and otter hounds, they hunted north-east along a tributary of the River Great Ouse, causing large amounts of destruction to the river habitat as they went. Otter slips (tracks where otters enter the water) were spotted by sabs, but the Mink Hound pack were not able to get any serious hunting done today before they were intercepted and sent back to their meet.

Again, the regular support were carrying spades, a gun and were leading several terriers. Clear signs of their intent to hunt live quarry, whatever they claim when sabs (and nowadays the police) show up. 

After a short stand-off, camera lenses at twenty paces, Thames Valley police were summoned to protect the Hunt. We politely but firmly stood our ground and stated that we weren't moving until hounds were packed and sent home. Police officers dutifully complied and shortly after, the hound van was sent on its way, leaving the ancient sandwich munching brigade stood about wondering what to do with the rest of their afternoon.

A successful afternoon, with the hunt packed up before even getting their boots muddy. Hunt sabs are volunteers, giving up their weekends to prevent the hunting of wildlife and spoiling these individuals "sport". Sabs from North Cambs, Beds & Bucks, Northants and Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs joined for today's work. If you'd like to support us, you can join by messaging this page, or donate to our running costs on http://ko-fi.com/northcambs for the cost of a coffee.

Pic below   -   Hounds being taken back to meet 

Just weeks before the Fitzwilliam Hunt lost its court case about the Hunting Act's falconry exemption, we came across Mike trying to purchase a bird of prey via Facebook. Birds of prey are commonly used by Hunts to make use of the falconry exemption. Since the Fitzwilliam lost its court case, this post has disappeared. Perhaps the Easton Harriers will continue to claim they are following a trail?

Norfolk/Suffolk sabs have addressed these concerns about his past to the master Lydia Freeman and the Huntsman Gary Wingar who both refused to comment. This begs the question; will the Easton Harriers continue to allow Mike Lee to join them next season? I guess we will wait and see.

Please help support our work. This can be done directly in the field or by donating us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/A8634QOZ. Feel free to share this post far and wide! (the image of the hare [below] is one of many victims of the Easton Harriers Hunt).

Pics below  -  1/  Rose and Oliver at Birmingham Magistrates Court [Credit - Yorkshire Post]   2/  Paul Reece, Whipper-in, Curre & Llangibby FH

We can reveal that Mark Halford resigned his position as one of the Atherstone Hunt's Directors on the 30th April.

The pictures accompanying this post are screen shots from Mark Halford's activity on Facebook. Halford who has openly supported the Countryside Alliance’s [anti] online abuse and bullying campaign can be seen doing the exact opposite, inciting people to participate in online abuse and bullying by targeting not only a local business but also a cathedral who hosted West Midlands Hunt Sabs. Not only a proven liar but now also a hypocrite.

Please consider donating to help us carry on campaigning - https://www.paypal.me/westmidlandhuntsabs.

But our job was done so we made the most of the last of the sunshine with a well earned beer in a nearby pub where it was great to catch up with sabs and old friends from other groups. Help us keep the pressure on the criminals - https://ko-fi.com/bedsbuckshuntsabs.

In May 2016, activists from the Hunt Investigation Team used hidden cameras to film a South Herefordshire Hunt terrierman apparently taking the young foxes into a shed of barking hounds before emerging with their lifeless bodies. The anti-hunting activists believe the terriermen were training the dogs to see foxes as prey.

The footage and the bodies of two cubs were handed to PC Barradale-Smith who had investigated previous allegations made by animal rights campaigners. But West Mercia Police then began an investigation into the officer after receiving an allegation that PC Barradale-Smith had been in a relationship with two anti-hunting activists, including the woman who brought him the evidence. This would have been misconduct in public office.

Police searched both his house and that of the anti-hunting activist, who has asked the BBC not to use her name. Anonymous threatening letters were sent to another woman who has campaigned against fox-hunting, also accusing her of having an affair with the officer. She passed them to the police.

The person who made the allegation works in the farming community and has close links to the South Herefordshire Hunt. He is not one of those charged. The BBC understands he did not name the officer and told the force he did not want to get further involved. Mr Barradale-Smith's family believes it was a "smear campaign" aimed at disrupting the case.

Further allegations against the officer were made in October 2016 by a senior prosecutor who said PC Barradale-Smith had leaked confidential information to the activist who gave him the video evidence. He was also accused of bombarding the CPS with emails. This triggered a separate misconduct investigation and he was taken off the fox cubs case. In January 2017, the officer went on sick leave and is yet to return to work.

By March this year both investigations had been resolved and he has been cleared of any wrong-doing. Now, within weeks, the decision to prosecute has been taken, two years after the investigation began.

The Hunt Investigation Team described the force's response as a scandal and claimed the police seemed more interested in "harassing" the officer who investigated the allegations than examining the allegations themselves. The activist alleged to have been involved with the PC asked to remain anonymous but said: "The police are there to investigate without fear or favour when evidence of a crime is brought to their attention. For two years they've been investigating an unsubstantiated allegation that I had an affair with a police officer that I've met once. It would have been very easy to show that was completely false and what you would have expected West Mercia to do is say, given the source, 'is there a conflict of interest here'."

In a joint statement, West Mercia Police and the CPS said the fox cub inquiry had involved a number of "complex factors". The force refused to comment about PC Barradale-Smith.

See also report in Daily Telegraph 

A 19-year-old man and a 58-year-old-man both from the Great Thurlow area have been summoned to court where they will be charged with intentional hunting of a mammal with dogs, contrary to sec.1 of the Hunting Act 2004. The teenager will also be charged with assault by beating and the man will be charged with common assault. Both men are due to appear before Ipswich Magistrates Court on July 9th.

TEXT OF COMPLAINT (all names have been removed)...

Dear Sir/Madam, I would like to make a complaint against Kent Police for the conduct and outcome of its investigation into illegal hunting on the 11th November 2017.

I filmed the Ashford Valley Tickham Hunt search and hunt a fox. The Hunt did not try and stop the killing of this animal and made every attempt to hide the evidence of the dead fox. No trail was laid by the Hunt, in fact the footage caught on camera shows the events ten minutes prior to the kill and following the kill. Whilst I was filming the kill I left my vehicle unattended, only to return to find that my vehicle keys had been stolen.

An associate of mine called the police, which the police attended and gave the CAD 11-625. I have no problem with the conduct and behaviour of the officers who attended the scene. They were polite and helpful and did what most people would expect a police services to do.

Contact by email was made by myself to PC xxxxxxxxx and on the 21st November at Ashford Police Station. I handed in the original SD card from my camera. On the 29th December I emailed xxxxxxx to express concern that no one had contacted me to take a statement.

At the end of January 2018, I was contacted by PC xxxxxxxx who arranged to take a statement over the phone. On the 26th the statement was given and I am happy with the way the statement was taken. PC xxxxxxx was polite and professional.

On the same day xxxxxxx emailed me. Her email said - "There is no dispute that the fox was killed, however the images haven't fully made out the offence." I mention this because of her use of the word "images". She also refers to "images" in an email to my associate xxxxxxx, when referring to my video evidence.

In an email to xxxxxxx, xxxxxxxx advised ... "you will be able to provide them with the footage that you have in order that it can be included in the investigation". There is a clear distinction between the two words and I don't think this is a clerical error. It is at this point in time that I believe that no video evidence, provided by myself, was passed on to any investigating officer. In summary I am accusing xxxxxxxx of perverting the course of justice. My fears where confirmed when I had a call from Sergeant xxxxxxx from Maidstone police on the 2nd February. He contacted me as he was the officer dealing with the theft of my keys on the 11th November 2017. He confirmed to me that he had not seen the footage I had provided to xxxxxxx.

It is not an unreasonable conclusion to assume that if the officer dealing with the theft of my keys was not given all the evidence, then it is more that likely that this same video footage was not shown to the officers dealing with the illegal hunting. The inevitable outcome that no action will be taken against the hunt was no surprise, and is the outcome I expected from Operation York.

I have three components to my complaint. 1) I would like to complain at the deliberately slow and botched investigation. 2) I would like to complain about the deliberate withholding of evidence, from the investigation of my stolen keys and the illegal hunting by xxxxxxxxxxx. 3) I would like to complain about the outcome of the investigation into the illegal hunting.

I find it hard to believe that with the level of evidence provided to Kent Police there was not enough evidence to put a case to the Crown Prosecution Service. This is not the first time I have complained about Operation York; I believe it is corrupt from top to bottom.  Yours faithfully, xxxxxxxxx

Pics below   -   1/  Pack has almost caught fox    2/  Terrierman retrieves carcass from pack  

POWAperson comments  -   This is a classic example of poor wording of the Hunting Act letting Hunts get away with murder. The Act requires that the prosecution prove that someone 'engaged or participated' in the chase by hounds. Although hunters, mounted and on foot, can be seen in the footage observing the chase start [and probably its finish] they do not appear to 'engage or participate, but simply let the hounds get on with it. Extraordinarily, the Act places no obligation on hunters to try to stop hounds that are chasing live quarry. One of many reasons why the Hunting Act desperately needs significant strengthening.

“She was transported up to a field and the Cornwall Air Ambulance took her to Derriford for surgery. She’s had a four-hour operation already, and she’s got more to come. She’s lost her teeth at the top but can’t have permanent surgery for implants yet.” Initially Georgia could only eat through a syringe, but now she is eating pureed foods.

While most teenagers would be left traumatised by such an incident, brave Georgia was riding her pony again just days after being discharged from hospital. “She is really brave, I’m struggling to ride again myself but her pony is her best friend and I think it’s her love of that pony which has got her through this,” Julie said. “She is embarrassed about the teeth missing and she’s still got a big lump on her lip and scars where she was stitched, but she never complains. She’s happy with her ponies and not like a typical teenager obsessed with make-up and designer clothes. She can’t chew, and she’s eating mashed up foods and drinking through a straw. But we’re getting there.” Georgia's mum has thanked the Cornwall Air Ambulance. “They are absolutely amazing and we can’t manage without them,” she added. “It saved an awful lot of time for us that day in getting her to hospital. We’ve got a lot of fundraising going on for the air ambulance as a result of this. The guy who drove Georgia from the track to meet the air ambulance, he has had a long beard for 20 years and at the Royal Cornwall Show he is shaving it off to raise funds. Also, there are a lot of people who experienced the accident who are already doing things differently on the safety side.”

In the meantime, Georgia’s hunting friends have set up a fundraising page to raise cash to cover the costs of the dental work she needs. So far nearly £3,400 of the £4,000 target has been raised.

Cathy prefers not to conceal her identity. She maintains she is a pacifist who uses non-violent methods. These include the use of citronella spray, which prevents the hounds from picking up the scent of the fox; a whip which makes a noise to halt the hounds; and voice commands to confuse them. “I don’t believe in violence,” says Cathy. “I think bloodsports by nature are violent, and violence breeds violence. So it doesn’t surprise me that they attack us.”

She says she has personally witnessed seven or eight fox kills – although there is no suggestion these were unlawful. Her passion for intervening in them has left her with some unusual scars. In summer, when she goes walking in the Welsh countryside to unwind, little marks on her cheek darken like freckles in the sun – from a vixen that bit her face in 2013 after she rescued it from a pack of hounds. “[It] was the classic pre-kill,” she says. “They were trying to turn her [the fox] onto her back and bite the stomach to start the disembowelment.”

Cathy says she waded through the hounds and gripped the vixen by the scruff of the neck, and with the help of a fellow saboteur bundled it into her car with a jacket over its face. The feeling of the fox’s teeth breaking the skin of her cheek as she clutched its wet fur tight to her chest was “like loads of pins biting down”. “When I went back to the hunt the huntsman said: ‘I hope your tetanus is up to date'.”

The vixen survived with the help of a vet. Cathy recovered with the help of a nurse. “I had to sit there with my hands in iodine for 40 minutes and I got a very strong round of antibiotics,” she says.

Hunt saboteurs have existed since the 1960s – but hunt supporters argue that the Hunting Act has made their role adopted legal methods. The most popular legal alternative – according to the Countryside Alliance – is a ‘trail hunt', in which a runner lays an artificial scent for mounted riders to follow. If a fox is inadvertently killed in the course of such a hunt, it does not mean the hunt is unlawful, however. Indeed, there is no proof the incidents Cathy recounts were deliberate fox kills organised by hunts.

The Countryside Alliance, which supports all forms of legal hunting, says there have been more than 250,000 hunts since the ban – and they claim the overwhelming majority have been lawful. More than 400 people were convicted in the ten years after the Hunting Act came into force, according to Ministry of Justice statistics – but the Countryside Alliance says just 24 of those were involved with “registered" hunts.

“Anti-hunting activists have long campaigned on behalf of animal rights yet their allegations of continuous law-breaking by hunts is completely unfounded,” a spokesperson said.

The earliest known hunt in Britain is thought to have taken place in 16th century Norfolk. It was eventually banned by Labour, under Tony Blair, in 2004. Both subsequent Conservative Prime Ministers have expressed their desire to repeal the ban, promising parliament a free vote on the issue – but both ultimately abandoned the idea.

This may be because the fox hunting ban is thought to be overwhelmingly supported by voters across the political spectrum. A poll by ComRes for the Daily Mirror suggested retaining the fox hunting ban was the most popular policy in Labour’s 2017 general election manifesto, with the support of 78% of the voting-age population (and 64% of Conservative voters).

The saboteurs argue that their attempts to disrupt the hunts is justified by such public support – and the law. Acquiring the video evidence necessary to prove illegal activity is a risky pastime, however. Interfering with a hunt often requires trespassing on others’ land; a civil offence which gives property owners the right to use 'reasonable force' to eject unwelcome visitors.

Last year a man was cautioned by police after Cathy was left with a bloody cut to her face while trying to film and monitor a hunt in Warwickshire. Video footage shows a man pushing Cathy after she initially refuses to leave his land. “The guy’s pushing and slapping and sort of whacks me in the face,” says Cathy. “He said, ‘You can hit me if you want’ – and the answer’s no, I’m not like you. What sort of natural response is that?"

Cathy has also been arrested – “four [or] five times”, she says. She was recently charged with three Public Order offences over a demonstration at a fundraising event for Atherstone hunt. Last month she was found not guilty of all charges. “It shouldn’t have gone to court in the first place,” she says. This hasn't dissuaded her from hunt sabotage though – but it does leave her feeling exhausted and in need of some recovery time.

“On a Saturday, when I get in, it’s a beer in a bath,” she says. “It’s not, ‘I’m going to get ready and go out clubbing'.” Tucked up in her bed, surrounded by fox cushions, ceramics, pictures, and other curios, she says she sleeps sound in the knowledge that she has done all she can to help the lives of animals that she believes society has a “duty of care to protect”. “There’s something magical about [foxes],” she says. “It’s that lovely sort of slinkiness that they’ve got, and they just sort of glide away. I find them really enchanting.”

POWAperson comments  -  As Cathy would be the first to acknowledge, there are many heroes and heroines amongst the hunt sab and monitor community. They all seriously risk their safety [two sabs have been killed in the hunting fields, many others badly injured. They have to tolerate routine violence, abuse, threats, harassment, property damage and thefts from hunters and their associated thugs [with precious little protection from the police]. They exhaust themselves in all weathers, often seeing the terrorisation and slaughter of the animals they seek to protect, all for no reward but the satisfaction that they have at least tried to save and advocate for them and borne witness to the lawless savagery of hunts and hunters. 

As you will have noticed, there are a number of very challengeable assertions by the author in the text above. Charitably, one might regard these as an attempt to achieve the famous BBC 'balance'.

Firstly, the claim that a hunt rider was knocked unconscious by sabs armed with iron bars was highly questionable. The only video evidence provided by the hunt side showed the hunter already lying on the ground when the clip started, with no evidence as to how he got there. The hunt side claimed the clip showed sabs assaulting hunt followers. In fact the only person being assaulted in it was one of the two sabs, who were heavily outnumbered by hunters and followers present. There were no 'iron bars'. Some sabs carry 'soft' whips - a short wooden handle attached to a piece of rope, occasionally used to discourage hounds and, in extremis, to help get them off their quarry, without hurting them. These were the only 'weapons' the sabs were carrying. Despite hunt side claims that there were other clips showing violence by the sabs, they have, surprise, surprise, never surfaced - and the police dropped the case pretty quickly.

The author's claim that there is no suggestion that any of the fox kills Cathy has witnessed were illegal is laughable. I'm sure Cathy and other sabs would assert that all of them were. This is because she, all other sabs and monitors believe, and repeatedly witness, illegal chasing and slaughter of live quarry routinely, in the pretend guise of 'trail hunting.' The author seems unwilling to acknowledge the mountain of evidence that this is the case.

Secondly, the sab filmed grasping a horse's bridle was doing the only thing he could to try to protect a female colleague, as the huntswoman had repeatedly ridden her horse at her. For his pains he was whipped 17 times, but the police did not consider this sufficient violence to merit an assault charge against the huntswoman.

Pic above right  -   Cathy being hit in the face by a former director of the Warwickshire FH

Pic below   -  Cathy rescuing a juvenile fox from the jaws of the Old Berks FH 

The BBC Three documentary 'The Hunt: Battle in the Countryside' is on the website. BBC Three is now available on the internet only [unlsss you have a Smart TV. It's also on You Tube.

Police from Thames Valley attended (in four vehicles) to protect the Hunt until they had packed and left. They showed no interest in the fact they were stood around with wildlife criminals, or to the concerns raised by sabs that the hounds had simply been boxed up in a trailer and left for around 30 minutes on the hottest day of the year. [Below - Off home, with police escort]

Groups with sabs present today included: North Cambs, Beds & Bucks, Suffolk And Essex , Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Northants, West Midlands and Cheshire Hunt Saboteurs. Hunt sabs give up their free time to stop illegal hunting in our countryside, if you would like to support our work for the price of a coffee, you can click here: https://ko-fi.com/northcambs.

The Hunt Investigation Team obtained footage which, they claim, was secretly recorded at the South Herefordshire Hunt's headquarters. The video footage appears to show a huntsman handling foxes illegally and was published on social media.

Ms Smith said the protest aimed to "show the police and CPS we are going to keep being vocal about 'crimes' not being prosecuted". "We are not going to shut up and go away," she added. But she was keen to highlight that it will be a peaceful protest on May 12 in Bath Street between 12pm and 3pm. Ms Smith said: "It is going to be extremely peaceful. But I believe emotions will run high because it is a a very emotive cause."

Last September police released five people from bail, but said the investigation is ongoing. A 37-year-old man and 27-year-old woman, both from Hereford, a 37-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman, both from Abergavenny, and a 45-year-old man from Powys were earlier arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty relating to an alleged offence in May 2016. South Herefordshire Hunt placed itself in voluntary suspension – and remains that way – as the police investigation continues.

Sue Thomas, the Supt for Herefordshire Local Policing area, said she was aware of the planned demonstration. "We plan to talk with the organisers around their plans for the event, but we would welcome direct contact from the organisers," she added. "We will be working with colleagues at Hereford City Council to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum, while facilitating the right of people to lawfully protest. Our role with such events is to ensure members of the public can exercise their lawful rights whilst preventing disruption, crime and disorder. We will ensure that we provide a proportionate policing response. This is a live investigation involving a number of complex factors. The CPS prosecution team have been in regular contact with Senior Officers from West Mercia Police in order to jointly progress this case. As part of the ongoing review of the case, the CPS awaits a limited amount of further information from West Mercia Police before the tests in the Code for Crown Prosecutors can properly be applied, and a decision on charge made. Cases of animal cruelty are treated seriously by both organisations. Resources have been invested to ensure that the best evidence can be achieved in these cases and we actively seek to protect animals from cruelty and to prevent their suffering."

POWAperson comments  -  The partially successful  prosecution of the Warwickshire Hunt was completed last month two years and four months after the incident was reported to police. The South Herefordshire case has now been going on for almost two years since the Hunt Investigation Team turned their footage of truly shocking cruelty to young fox cubs over to the police - and still no charges have been laid. Let's just hope these excessive delays are due to the CPS determination to get all their ducks in a row in this disturbing case.  

Pics below -   1/  Fox cubs held in captivity    2/  Man believed to by S. Herefordshire FH servant about to throw cub to hounds inside the building

This relates to attacks detailed in sabs' report of 26-11-17 -  '...with so many sabs in the area, wherever the chose to roam, they ran into sabs. This had the desired affect of keeping them moving, unable to hunt. So it was only to be expected that they would resort to violence again. And ex jockey, David Mansell was more than happy to oblige. After repeatedly riding into, threatening and assaulting one female sab whilst she was on a footpath, he then chose to do the same to another female sab who filmed the first attack...'

Pics below   -   Mansell riding his horse into female sab 

(3) “Back to Rodmead . . . as Angus and Sarah hosted the largest Wednesday meet of the season. Putting in on the West side hounds were away almost immediately but on a tricky scent running under Little Knoll towards Newmead then back over the drive to lose touch in sheep foil. Drawing on they picked up on the Elm Farm side with two hard circuits and were duly rewarded.”

(4) “And so to the Closing Meet at Manor Farm, Stockton with Phylidda Stratton our hostess . . . Dry and hard underfoot with the wind still Easterly scent was uncertain however hounds ran outstandingly well after putting on the left of the track running away toward Sherrington Dairy and working back over the dry ground gathering pace running past the pheasant pens down the valley beyond up through Gilberts Cleeve then left handed for a successful conclusion.”

It all smells a bit fishy . . . to say the least. All of these hunts were long, fast, continuous pursuits over several miles across the challenging terrain of Salisbury Plain. They all also feature the characteristic circular patterns run by desperate hares. In hunt (1) the trail was supposedly laid by the “main road” – the very busy A3; in hunt (2) the trail appears to have been repeatedly put across a stream; while in hunt (3) it was laid through a flock of sheep. All the hunts also ended in a “successful conclusion”; what exactly does this mean in trail hunting? Countryside Alliance guidance clearly states that the Huntsman “does not know exactly where the trails have been laid” so how does the Wilts & Infantry Huntsman know when the trail has finished and that hounds have been “successful”?

The answer to all these questions, of course, is that the Wilts & Infantry Beagles are openly describing their cruelty and criminality in a document that they never imagined would enter the public domain...

Pic above right   -   Wilts & Infantry Beagles hunting on Salisbury Plain 

Mr White, 58, told the Sunday Telegraph the case had been ‘completely biased’ from the outset with a ‘prejudiced’ officer in charge. Nottinghamshire Police said that it reviewed processes where appropriate, while the CPS said it would consider the judge’s comments.

POWAperson comments   -   The appeal judge who overturned the Grove & Rufford FH 3's convictions was a Tory MP in the 1990s, at a time when the great majority of them were pro-hunt and his name does not appear in my record of anti Tories from the time. In consideration of part of the evidence, that the terrierman had been transporting a terrier in his quad - which the case judge thought indicative of intent to hunt - he flippantly remarked that the terrierman might just have taken the dog along for a ride. The judge also determined that the fox had been 'chopped' - which contradicted the evidence of the birdwatchers [not anti hunt activists] who were the main prosecution witnesses. It does appear that the police should have disclosed the 50 photos.  It's impossible to say without seeing them all, but the judge seems to have felt he could read intent into them. This may, however, just have been a matter of interpretation. Rather than 'racing to intervene' to stop the hounds, might they not as easily been hurrying to get to the scene of a potential kill, as hunters are wont to do, and/or perhaps to be in a position to quickly remove the evidence of their crime? Three days before the appeal verdict, sabs saw and filmed the G&R fox hunting in nature reserves belonging to the Woodland Trust, which totally bans Hunts from their land. One suspects the only 'injustice' done here is to the fox slaughtered by the G&R's hounds.

The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 banned huntsmen from sending dogs to tear apart foxes but they can still be used to flush out foxes which should then be shot. A “loophole” in the law also allows hounds to be set on foxes if they are wounded during the hunt. The Scottish Government is expected to release analysis of the results of a consultation on strengthening the law before the summer. More than 30,000 people responded.

LACS director Marsland said their new poll of 1,463 people “debunks the myth that this is a town versus country issue” and indicates that the majority of Scots believe the 2002 legislation “has failed in its purpose”.

Director of the SCA, Jamie Stewart, who speaks for Scotland’s huntsmen, said: “I know that Robbie Marsland is a stranger to our country, but I am perplexed by his continued demonstration of a complete lack of understanding or regard for Scottish legislation.  The Scottish Parliament introduced the Protection of Wild Mammals Act in 2002 making the deliberate chase of a wild mammal with dogs illegal. This applies to fox hunting. What he is now trying to ban is genuine pest control.”

When the Sunday Herald asked Stewart whether he was referring to the fact that Marsland is English, he said: “Yes. Robbie was parachuted in from England and doesn’t really seem to understand Scottish legislation.”  

Marsland said: “It’s unfortunate Mr Stewart has failed to understand the issue here which is very clearly about public support for a proper ban on fox hunting and the fact there is no difference in public opinion between those who live in urban areas and those who live rurally. Instead, rather than use the opportunity to give a valid view on the situation he has chosen to make personal comments which quite frankly don’t have any bearing on public attitudes in Scotland.”

Stewart pointed to SCA polling published in February which asked 1,031 people in Scotland which issues had the greatest impact on their vote in the General Election. The survey showed 98 per cent of people did not put fox hunting in their top five issues that affected their vote and none of the respondents mentioned fox hunting as an issue when asked for their opinion unprompted.

Fox hunting legislation is decided on by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament and the General Election sees voters elect MPs to the UK Parliament.

Stewart said: “Independent research published by the Scottish Countryside Alliance has shown again that hunting is completely irrelevant to Scottish voters … and inferring that this is somehow an urban/rural divide is simply a new tactic by the LACS to try and keep their campaign alive.”

Scottish Green MSP Alison Johnstone, who is working to bring a bill before the Scottish Parliament which would completely ban fox hunting, said the new LACS polling is another indication of majority support for an outright ban.

“Advocates for blood sports are gradually running out of arguments for their cruel and outdated rituals not to be banned once and for all,” she said. “Hunting with dogs was banned in Scotland over 15 years ago, but hunts continue to take place across Scotland using a loophole which allows flushing with hounds. As more Scots, regardless of whether they live in an urban or rural area, come to realise that this barbaric practice is still taking place, I’m confident that more and more of them will want to see a permanent ban in place.”

Marsland added: “The Scottish Government has the opportunity to strengthen the legislation so that we have a law which really bans hunting. The League is urging those in power to let common sense prevail and make fox hunting illegal once and for all.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring the highest welfare standards for all animals – including those in the wild. In recognition of concerns about the effectiveness of the current fox hunting legislation, we asked one of Scotland’s most senior judges, Lord Bonomy, to carry out a detailed review of the current position. We will announce any plans we have to change the law on fox hunting once we have completed the analysis of the consultation on Lord Bonomy’s recommendations and carefully considered all the arguments that have been put forward.”

It was a damp day, and the huntsman was already making a huge meal of traipsing up and down the swollen stream with her reluctant hounds. Sabs arriving sparked a short protest where one individual was pushed and shoved by a hunt member, but with camcorders pointing all over the Hunt they soon realised that discretion was the better part of valour, and headed back to their vehicles.

Hounds appeared disappointed to be packed away so soon, and the Hunt had difficulty catching them all to load into the trailer, but once we had seen the hunt put away their pack, terriers, gun(!) and otter poles and leave we were satisfied with a job well done.

Hunt saboteurs give up their free time voluntarily to protect wildlife from being killed in the name of sport. If you would like to support this vital work for the price of a coffee, please click here: https://ko-fi.com/northcambs/.

Pic below   -   Packing up early, their fun spoiled 

Appeal:- Since receiving notification that this case was to go no further we have been working closely with Outpaced on an appeal to the CPS with regards to the main point brought up which was ID of the Huntsman. This appeal relied on the fact that when Hunts are a limited company there should be no issue with ID of hunt staff, but due to the time it’s taken to get a decision from the CPS we ran out of time. This is something we have come up against with the CPS before, who allow cases to ‘expire’.

However, a spokesperson for Outpaced says: “What the CPS have given us is a very interesting angle to explore through the summer. Other cases talk about a director being engaged in the act and it seems surely reasonable to be considered engaged if riding with a hunt that kills, or indeed simply hunts. It seems equally clear that such an act falls into connivance, consent or neglect. It does seem very worth pursuing and we will certainly get advice as to putting all hunt directors on notice in writing for next season”.

We would like to express our thanks to Outpaced for giving up their time to help us with this point of attack because it could help all groups nationally who are opposed to hunting eventually.

The next step: strengthening the law:- We all talk about how the Hunting Act is the source of all our problems, with getting cases through the courts with just outcomes, and have decided to show you how the Act should be changed. We have joined together with POWA (Protect Our Wild Animals) who have given us permission to share this document which lays out exactly what needs to change: www.powa.org.uk/id88.html.

Protect Our Wild Animals was the first, and most persistent organisation calling for strengthening of the Hunting Act. They have been exposing the true state of affairs and blatant lawbreaking since shortly after the ban. POWA is composed of highly experienced campaigners, including in its number some of the country’s most experienced hunt monitors. POWA knew the law had been weakened in the process of being drawn up to the extent that it offered the hunters numerous gaping loopholes which they would undoubtedly exploit to the maximum.

Before the ban, 50,000 hunters signed a “Declaration” stating they would break any law banning hunting - it is quite clear they meant it, believing as they clearly do that they are above the law. The invention of so-called “trail hunting” was a stroke of (evil) genius by the hunters which provided them with a ready made excuse every time they were caught out. POWA has constantly exposed the appalling level of lawbreaking and violence taking place at hunts all over the country. They continue to do so, and are in talks with leading politicians to develop with them the strengthening measures to be added to the Hunting Act as soon as the political landscape allows.

We all must stand up to these criminals and those in government that protect them. We will be soon posting a comprehensive guide to help you confront illegal hunting in your area. Watch this space!

For now If you feel a need to write in and express your concerns, here is a list of who to contact :- www.foxhuntingevidenceuk.com/area-contacts/cheshire/.  Please share this post! Also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en6Uv_cyNqg. Useful links:- http://www.powa.org.uk/https://www.facebook.com/Outpaced-Wildlife-Rescue-16839376…/ http://www.houndsoff.co.uk/.