Craven & Pendle Forest Hunt get permission for new kennels

19-6-09  Craven Herald   Hounds can move to new home   The Pendle Forest and Craven Hunt hounds have been given official approval to move to new premises near Bell Busk. Craven District Council’s planning committee agreed in principle to the conversion of a building at Wheelwright Farm, Coniston Cold, in May, but had asked for the application to be brought back to the June meeting for confirmation of conditions. The application had received the backing of the planning committee despite being recommended for refusal by planning officers.

A number of local residents had voiced concerns about potential noise and fouling, as well as danger to road users. But the committee felt there were insufficient planning grounds for refusal and accepted that the use of the public highway for the exercising of the harrier hounds was outside planning control.

After the first planning meeting, three further letters had been received highlighting fears of livestock disturbance and potential health risk to livestock and people through the hounds’ waste. The committee reiterated its approval of the scheme and agreed a summary of conditions.

These include using natural, reclaimed stone in construction of the building and providing a sample to ensure the work retains the character of the traditional building.

No areas outside the building may be used for industrial operations or to store materials, plant, equipment, products or waste.

The occupation of the converted stable block must be limited to those workers and their dependants who are directly responsible for the care and handling of the hounds. A further condition was added relating to disposal of dog waste.

S. Durham FH JM in court charged with assaulting 2 women monitors

18-6-09    LACS Press Release    Hunt master in court over assault claim     A Hunt Master from Durham will appear in court today after being charged with assaulting two female hunt monitors.

League monitors Lynne Edwards and Hazel Greaves were monitoring the South Durham Hunt on 28 February 2009 when the attack by Gary Watchman is alleged to have taken place.

Mr Watchman will appear at Sedgefield Magistrates Court, in Newton Aycliffe following claims he hit both women with his whip while trying to stop them filming his Hunt's activities.

This latest case follows the recent jailing of Christopher Marles of the East Devon Hunt who was sentenced to six months behind bars for a similar assault.

League Chief Executive Douglas Batchelor said: “Violence should not be tolerated in any sector of society and this is just another example of hunters believing themselves to be above the law. Unfortunately monitors, who give up their time to assist the police, are being subjected to bullying and intimidating behaviour by hunters and we are grateful this behaviour is being taken seriously by the police. No-one would tolerate attacks on Neighbourhood Watch members, and nor should we when it comes to hunt monitors.”

Article no longer online 

Councillor seeks end to St. Ives' traditional link with Western FH

17-6-09  Cornishman    Councillor out to stop hunting links    A GREEN Party member and St Ives town councillor wants to sever all official links between the council and a local hunt group. Paula Richards, who runs the Bean Inn vegetarian restaurant, hopes to persuade fellow members to snub the Western Hunt during annual Feast celebrations…. Town Clerk Louise Dowe said the mayor had offered a glass of punch to riders on Feast Monday every February 'since time immemorial'…

Ullswater FH Huntsman faces trial on 2 charges of illegal hunting

11-6-09    Carlisle News & Star    Cumbrian man [Huntsman of Ullswater FH] denies illegal hunting charges    A Cumbrian man is set to face a trial after being accused of two acts of illegal hunting. John Harrison, 48, of Grassthwaite Howe, in Glenridding near Penrith, appeared at Eden Magistrates’ Court charged with two counts of hunting a wild mammal with a dog.

He pleaded not guilty to both offences, and will now go on trial before a district judge in Penrith over three days from September 16 to September 18.

The Hunting Act was brought in by the Government in 2004, and prohibits the hunting of mammals with dogs, unless the hunting is exempted.

Harrison was granted bail. Both his solicitor and a representative from the Crown Prosecution Service will appear before magistrates in Carlisle on August 17 for a review of the case ahead of the trial.

Survey finds 70% opposed to any Hunting Act repeal bill

1-6-09   Torquay Herald Express   No hunting ban U-turn, say voters    Most voters do not want the Tories to give MPs the chance to reverse the ban on hunting with hounds if they take power, a poll has shown. The survey, commissioned from YouGov by the League Against Cruel Sports, found 70% were opposed to Parliamentary time being devoted to a Bill…

MAY 2009

….. 31st May -  Hunts want police to treat info on meets as exempt from FoI requests

….. 23rd May - Otis Ferry and friend both convicted of attack on female monitors 

….. 23rd May - CA urges Hunts to 'monitor monitors' after death of supporter

….. 16th May - ACPO spokesman say enforcing hunt ban a low priority

…..  1st May - Wick & District Beagles Huntsman cautioned for illegal hunting 

Otis Ferry and friend both convicted of attack on female monitors

Ferry of P.O. Act S5 offence, Deutsch of Affray - both fined £350 

23-5-09    Gloucester Citizen and Echo    Countryside campaigner Otis Ferry walked free from court today, claiming he only got involved in a skirmish with hunt monitors because of the recent theft of his puppy by animal rights campaigners.

Ferry [right], 26, the son of Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry, was given a one-year conditional discharge for causing "fear, stress and upset" to a woman who tried to film him riding with a Hunt. Ferry was released with a £350 fine and £100 costs by a judge at Gloucester Crown Court, as he had already served four months on remand.

His defence barrister, George Cox QC, revealed that two weeks before the incident near Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, Ferry's Jack Russell, named Tiny, had been taken by anti-hunting protesters. Mr Cox blamed the "distressing" theft of Tiny for the fact that Ferry had become involved in a "tug of war" for his victim's car keys, leaving her bruised.

The incident, in November 2007, began after Ferry had ridden to the aid of fellow hunt supporter John Deutsch whose Subaru was being held up as he was trying to get help for a sick horse.

Ferry, joint master of the South Shropshire Hunt, pleaded not guilty to robbing the monitors, Helen Ghalmi [below left, talking to police after the attack] and Susan Grima, of a Samsung camcorder, a Navman sat nav, and a set of keys. He also denied charges of affray and assault, relating to the same incident on November 21, 2007, when he was a guest of the Heythrop Hunt, which covers Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. But the pleas were accepted by the crown after Ferry, of Eaton Mascott, Shropshire, admitted a public order offence.

Prosecutor Kerry Barker told the court that the two women recognised Ferry riding on that afternoon and tried to film him. At that stage a horse box driven by Deutsch passed their Peugeot and blocked them in. The driver then got out and shouted abuse at them before grabbing the top of the car window, causing it to smash, Mr Barker said. The pair were "very frightened" by what was taking place, the court heard. Seeing Deutsch, 55, involved in a scene, a man identified as Ferry rode over. He tried to grab the camera and sat nav system, finally becoming involved in a "tug of war" for the car keys, which he won. After the struggle, Ms Ghalmi suffered "slight bruising" to her upper right arm, Mr Barker said.

The court heard that the Heythrop Hunt was unique in that it wears green jackets, while visitor Mr Ferry was wearing red.

Deutsch – who was also fined £350 with £100 costs after admitting affray – said he was angry at being blocked in because he was driving an injured horse away for treatment.

Mr Cox, speaking in mitigation, said: "Mr Ferry is somewhat in the public eye and a well-known supporter of hunting. He is therefore often the subject to attention from those who disagree with hunting on principle. Two weeks before the incident his dog had been stolen and reported to the police as stolen. It was subsequently recovered, clearly having been taken by people wished to make a political point. At the time he was joining the Heythrop Hunt, his dog had just been stolen, he believed, as it turned out correctly, by people who wished to visit their disapproval on him. His house is regularly watched. He is sometimes followed and has been the object of campaigns – from time to time sustained – of intrusive attention from those who disagree with the practice and tradition of hunting. So when he saw in the road that day Mr Deutsch apparently in some difficulty his spontaneous reaction – which he concedes amounted to misplaced loyalty to a fellow hunt supporter – was to become involved. He bitterly regrets any involvement in that incident."

Addressing Judge Martin Picton, he continued: "The theft of his dog had just occurred two weeks earlier. If one is fond of animals – I don't know if your Honour has dogs, I do – the stealing of a dog is distressing, unpleasant and upsetting. It was in those circumstances that this offence was committed."

He added that Ferry had already spent four months as a remand prisoner on a charge of intimidating a witness in the case, which was later dropped.

Sentencing Ferry, Judge Picton told Ferry he had caused "fear, stress and upset" on that day, but accepted he had wrongly served more time in jail that the offence "could ever justify". Judge Picton added: "Those who object to hunting are entitled to go about that process of objection lawfully just as much as someone engaged in hunting is entitled to practice it in a lawful way. People have to peacefully co-exist no matter what their differing view and opinions."

After the case, which was held at Cirencester Magistrates' Court, sitting as Gloucester Crown Court, Ferry declined to comment. But he was heard to tell his girlfriend. Francesca Nimmo. who was there to support him: "Phew." His mother, Lucy Birley, 48, a former model, was also in the public gallery at the hearing.

In the case of Ferry, the £350 was ordered to be paid as compensation to Ms Ghalmi. In Deutsch's case the same sum must be paid to Ms Grima. Ferry's witness-nobbling charges to be quoshed.

CA urges Hunts to 'monitor monitors' after death of supporter

23-5-09   Horse & Hound    Thames Valley Hunts to 'monitor the monitors'    Hunts in the Thames Valley area are being urged to "monitor the monitors", following a second meeting between the Countryside Alliance (CA) and Thames Valley Police (TVP)… The CA and Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) requested meetings with TVP following the alleged murder of Warwickshire hunt supporter Trevor Morse in March, an incident to which Midlands-based animal rights group Protect Our Wild Animals (POWA) has been linked…. "The police are very aware that Trevor's death and the involvement of POWA with hard core animal rights activists has changed the [hunt monitoring] situation significantly."…

Full article no longer online 

ACPO spokesman say enforcing hunt ban a low priority

16-5-09  Daily Mirror    Illegal fox hunting 'not a priority' for police   Police chiefs have provoked fury by saying their officers will not target illegal foxhunting The Association of Chief Police Officers said there were more pressing priorities because gathering evidence of illegal hunting is difficult and it is hard to enforce the Government's ban.

Richard Brunstrom, the spokesman on rural affairs and Chief Constable of North Wales Police, said: "Hunting is definitely not a policing priority. It is not illegal to wear a red coat and ride a horse in a public place." Mr Brunstrom said police had to choose which areas of law enforcement to devote scarce resources to. He added: "If you look at hunting, the penalties do not include a prison sentence for offenders. This puts the Hunting Act to the lower rather than the higher end of offences."

But a spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports said the police had a duty to enforce the law. He added: "We fought for 80 years for the hunting ban. We are going to press for more prosecution cases."

Mr Brunstrom has caused controversy in the past with his outspoken views. He has called for the decriminalisation of all drugs and incurred the wrath of motorists with his enthusiasm for speed cameras...

15-5-09   Daily Mail    Hunting ban collapses as police abandon monitoring operations    Police are to stop monitoring hunts in a policy change that effectively marks the collapse of the hunting ban, it emerged last night.

New guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers says that forces have more pressing priorities than spending valuable time clamping down on hunts and suggests that monitoring should be cut down. It brands the 2004 Hunting Act 'cumbersome' and 'unenforceable' because gathering evidence of illegal hunting has proven difficult. The Association of Chief Police Officers says that forces have more pressing priorities than clamping down on hunts.

The guidance advises police to rely on anti-hunt campaigners to gather information. But in a blow to these activists, the document comes with a warning that they can be unreliable and should be treated with 'caution' because hunting is an 'emotionally charged' subject. Organised hunts will no longer be required to inform police in advance of the time and place of meets and their planned route, The Times reported.

richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable of North Wales and the ACPO spokesman on rural affairs, told the newspaper: 'Hunting is definitely not a policing priority. It is not illegal to wear a red coat and ride a horse in a public place.' Mr Brunstrom said that police had to prioritise areas of law enforcement. He added: 'If you look at hunting, the penalties do not include a prison sentence for offenders. This puts the Hunting Act to the lower rather than the higher end of offences. Parliament had the chance to include imprisonment as a sentence but did not do so.' The guidance, which has been approved by senior officers but is not binding, urges officers to avoid 'acrimonious, time consuming, frustrating and ultimately fruitless activity'. There is 'no discernible appetite in Parliament at present to revise the legislation', it says.

David Cameron, the Tory leader, has made it clear that he is in favour of repealing the Hunting Act if he wins the next election, offering MPs a free vote in government time. A backbencher would have to produce a Bill.

Mr Brunstrom said: 'Hunting is definitely not a policing priority and don’t let me give you the impression it is. But that does not mean we are not going to deal with it. We recognise it is the law of the land and the duty of the police to enforce it - but to do so proportionately and according to priorities. 'He raised concerns about militants joining forces with anti-hunt organisations and added: 'If there are offences they are likely to be taking place in a remote rural environment. We are not very well equipped to follow hunts and get evidence and nor do we think we can justify it. Pursuing hunts is an expensive and sophisticated operation.'

Louise Robertson, of the League Against Cruel Sports, said last night that the ban will still have to be enforced by law. She said: 'The guidelines recognise that the Hunting Act is the will of the parliament and is legislation supported by the vast majority of the public and we will continue to work with the police to ensure this is enforced effectively.'

POWAperson comments  -  This will make no practical difference. Police have never 'monitored' hunts in the first place. Sabs and hunt monitors say if they turn up at all they just say they're there to 'keep the peace' and show no interest in enforcing the Hunting Act, sometimes even when it is being breached before their eyes. Nor can Hunts have ever had to inform police of their 'routes' since they don't have any except following where their quarry goes and they obviously can't predict that in advance. 

Eggesford FH pin fox tail to Conservative Party billboard

14-5-09   North Devon Journal    Fox tail is a sign of support for political party   A FOX TAIL has been attached to a roadside Conservative Party billboard. The bushy attachment was spotted this week on a road between Wembworthy and Eggesford, near Chulmleigh. A woman at Eggesford Hunt Kennels said the tail was attached to the sign as a way of showing opposition to the hunting ban….

League Against Cruel Sports campaigner Alan Briggs, from Bideford, said: "I think it's disgraceful, in very bad taste. I've not heard of anything like this happening before."…

Article no longer online 

Barlow FH senior Joint Master is killed in a fire

30-4-09  Horse & Hound    Memorial fund for Barlow master Anne Wilson    The Barlow Hunt has set up a fund in memory of senior joint-master Anne Wilson who died following a fire on 17 April.… Her funeral takes place at 2.30pm on Wednesday, 6 May, at St Swithin's Church, Holmesfield.

A spokesman for the Hunt said they would be taking a collection in her memory, with part of the proceeds going to the Injured Jockeys Fund and the rest to create a memorial to Miss Anne at the hunt kennels in Horsley Gate…

Article no longer online 

Grafton FH stable boy killed self after Huntsman barred him from hunt

29-4-09   Northampton Chronicle    Stable lad killed himself: Inquest A YOUNG huntsman shot himself at the Grafton Hunt kennels in Northamptonshire after writing a suicide note to his parents, an inquest heard today.

Jack Burgess, aged just 16, was described by his mother Margaret Connolly as "a wonderful son" who had a love of the countryside and a promising future with the hunt before his death in October last year.

The former Kingsbrook College student killed himself with a .32 pistol - normally used to destroy animals at the Paulerspury kennels - after being told by huntsman Mick Wills that he would not be allowed to go hunting that morning. In a statement, Ms Connolly said Jack was "happy, always smiling and a grinner". She added: "He had a happy life and lived it the way he wanted to. He had no enemies and we all still miss him very much."

In a suicide note found near his body, Jack said "Mum and Dad I love you", before asking for his dog Jet to be given to one of his best friends.

The inquest, held at Northampton General Hospital heard how Jack started working for the Hunt on his 16th birthday in July last year, and was aiming to complete an NVQ in animal husbandry. He had been involved with the kennels since he was just eight, when Mr Wills arranged for him to look after a pony and learn to ride.

On the morning of his death, he had been left crying after Mr Wills told him he would not be going hunting as punishment for failing to clean his horse properly the previous weekend. Mr Wills said he was tough on Jack because he showed so much promise as a huntsman, and he "wanted the best for him". He said: "I wanted to teach him to do things properly and to a high standard, and I wanted him to learn that it was important. Jack was very gifted and remarkable, he had a natural body language with the hounds. He had a rare talent."

Ms Connolly said the family "in no way blamed" Mr Wills for their son's death. She added: "Mick always had Jack's interests at heart. He was trying to do the best for him because he wanted to bring on Jack's talent."

Coroner Anne Pember recorded a verdict of suicide.

LACS drops its prosecution of four from Isle of Wight FH

17-4-09   Daily Telegraph    Hunting ban is 'unworkable mess' say supporters    Hunt supporters have claimed the ban has become an "unworkable mess" after the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) dropped a private prosecution of four men accused of illegal hunting.

The case against four members of the Isle of Wight Hunt, Stuart Trousdale, Jamie Butcher, Malcolm Purcell and Liam Thom, is the third under the Hunting Act to be dropped in recent weeks.

The men were arrested in early morning raids nearly two years ago. The Crown Prosecution Service later decided not to prosecute them, but the League started a private prosecution. On Thursday at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court the case was formally discontinued.

The prosecution is the third under the Act to be dropped following a High Court ruling in February that the prosecution had to prove a hunt was not carrying out exempt hunting. The other abandoned cases involved members of the Heythrop Hunt in Oxfordshire, and the Devon and Somerset Stag Hounds.

Simon Hart, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said of the latest case to collapse: “This is the clearest possible evidence that the Hunting Act is on borrowed time. Technically it remains on the statute book, but even the organisation that promoted this Act, and which is its greatest defender, has had to admit that it has failed. The only question that remains now is when the Hunting Act will be repealed.”

The League said: “After careful consideration the League's legal experts have advised that although the evidence had originally been of sufficient quality and quantity, this was no longer the case following the recent High Court judgment. The ruling introduced a new criteria in presenting evidence which did not exist when this particular case was brought.”

John Cooper, the League chairman, who is a barrister, said the decision would not mean an end to prosecutions under the Act.

IoW FH filmed digging fox out of sett with police approval

7-4-09  YouTube - MegaTextingQueen    Dig out (7th March) when the terrier men dug into another badger sett after another fox again located and marked by a full pack of hounds. This was all carried out in front of two police officers who sanctioned the whole event. One of them was a Wildlife Crime officer!

Pics below   -  1/  Terriermen digging fox out of badger sett while police refuse to act     2/   How sett entrance left after fox dug out and shot 

MARCH 2009

….. 21st March - Illegal hunting charges against D&S SH three dropped by CPS

….. 16th March - Brocklesbury FH JM Earl banned for driving at 125 mph on A1

….. 14th March - E. Devon FH Whipper-in jailed for attacking woman monitor with horse

….. 11th March - Four illegal hunting charges against Heythrop FH Huntsman dropped

….. 9th March - Cattistock FH hunt, even crossing coastal road, in fog

…..  4th March - CPS will not appeal controversial High Court Hunting Act judgment 

Illegal hunting charges against D&S SH three dropped by CPS

21-3-09  Sunday Telegraph     Hunt supporters say decision to drop charges against three hunt masters proves ban has failed    Hunt supporters have hailed a decision to drop charges of illegal hunting against three members of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds as evidence that the ban has failed and leads to "confusion, cost and conflict". The case against joint-master Maurice Scott, huntsman Donald Summersgill, and whipper-in Peter Heard was dropped on Friday.

The Crown Prosecution Service said that, in the light of a High Court ruling in February, it was for the prosecution to prove a hunt was not carrying out exempt hunting. The case was the second under the Hunting Act to be dropped by the CPS this month.

The three men were charged with illegal hunting in 2006, and pleaded not guilty on the basis that their hunting was "exempt" and therefore legal.

Mr Scott said: "This is a huge relief, not just for myself, and others facing the charges but for hunting as a whole."

Simon Hart, the Countryside Alliance chief executive, said: "There have only been three successful prosecutions of hunts, involving five people, since the Act came into force in February 2005. The decision to drop this case suggests that prosecutions under the Hunting Act will now be even rarer. It could not now be more obvious that this Act has failed and all it now promotes is confusion, cost and conflict."

The CPS dropped four charges of illegal hunting against a Huntsman, Julian Barnfield, of the Heythrop Hunt, in Oxfordshire, earlier this month. That decision followed a High Court ruling that the use of dogs to search for a wild mammal in order to stalk it or flush it out was not in breach of the Act.

Brocklesbury FH JM Earl banned for driving at 125 mph on A1

16-3-09  Scunthorpe Telegraph [no longer online]    Earl banned after speeding up to 125mph - THE Earl of Yarborough has been banned from driving after hitting speeds of 125mph in his BMW on the A1… He was educated at Eton College, and is known locally as the leader of the annual Boxing Day Brocklesby Hunt….

Cattistock FH hunt, even crossing coastal road, in fog

9-3-09   Private email from monitor    On Saturday afternoon, we filmed hounds from the Cattistock Hunt chasing a fox over the busy coastal road B3157 just outside of Abbotsbury and close to the famous Swannery. The road was shrouded in mist rolling in from the sea. It was a miracle there wasn't a pile up.

My colleague and another hunt monitor were driving along the B3157, having decided to return home as the fog was so thick in places that they could no longer monitor safely, when through the mist they saw hounds racing across the field at the side of the road and towards the road and run straight across the road and onto the hill above the sea. The livestock fence did not stop them - they simply jumped over it. They were completely out of control on a notorious black spot for accidents, with the hunt staff nowhere to be seen.

The monitors were forced to brake and the traffic behind us stopped. Fortunately there was a gap in the on coming traffic, so no hounds were killed or injured. (as far as we know).

We are sending our film to the police, but nothing will happen. This is not a one off, this Hunt always hunts either side of this busy coastal road - they have the luck of the devil, and a law which lacks "intent", so in effect they are above the law.

Incidents such as this are a regular occurrence across the country with wild mammals being chased down and ripped apart by hunts in the exact same way as they were before the 'ban'. The MPs and government have to grasp the reality of the situation. The Hunting Act has to be strengthened with a reckless behaviour clause of "cause or permit", if it is to work as Parliament intended.

It is no good blaming the police for not enforcing an Act that is unenforceable. Anyone who says that this Act is enforceable is working against the interests of the hunted animal. Labour should do the right thing and strengthen the Act. It will lose votes, it can ill afford, if it does not. it is not just hunt monitors who are angry, but the public who thought hunting had been banned. This is the dangerous law-breaking that Tory Leader, David Cameron, plans to reward by repealing the Hunting Act, should he become PM.

Woman upset as Essex Farmers FH hounds invade, scaring pets

26-2-09   Thisistotalessex    Woman traumatised as hunt hounds run amok    AN ANIMAL-LOVER was left traumatised after hunt hounds allegedly charged into her garden. Lyn Taylor, 60, has been deeply affected by the episode, which she says erupted while she was alone at home in tranquil Woodham Walter.

"I am so traumatised by it," she said. "Before the law changed, the hunt would send a card round beforehand saying they were going to be in the area. But since then we don't get one any more. All of a sudden I heard the hounds yelping. There were at least half a dozen in my garden going berserk."

Mrs Taylor said the dogs broke some branches from a prize rhododendron, and frightened off a stray cat which she looks after. The cat didn't return for two days. She said her pet dog and five other pedigree cats were also left unnerved by the experience. I shouted at the huntsmen to go away but they did nothing. In the end I was screaming and shouting so much they called the hounds off. Two of them even laughed as they left. I felt humiliated and I am so angry there were hounds in my garden when they shouldn't even be around here. What right have they got to come round here and interfere with our property and disturb our peace?"

The incident on Wednesday February 25 was reported to Maldon Police who are investigating.

Mervyn Clarke, a master of the Essex Farmers and Union Hunt said no complaint had been received about the incident. “We are sorry if someone has been inconvenienced, we would never knowingly upset anybody," he said. "If she writes to us, we will investigate. I find it bizarre that somebody can make these sort of comments," he added. "Animals run through back gardens, it happens."

Woman Cotley Harriers follower cautioned for assaulting two monitors

Female monitor in 60s was grabbed by throat and thrown into hedge

20-2-19   Email from female monitor  VIDEO  The Cotley supporter (day after Boxing Day) who grabbed me by the throat, tried to grab my camera, threw me into a hedge and then hit both Graham and myself, while her two male companions looked on, received a caution yesterday. We think she got of too lightly and we are sending our DVD clips to the local TV stations in the hope they will show it.

Woman shocked as Holderness FH hounds chase fox thru garden

Huntsmen present but made no attempt to call hounds off

Other witnesses, but police say 'no evidence' of crime 

19-2-09   Hull Daily Mail  [no longer online]   Maxine Budding was shocked to see hounds from the Holderness Hunt pursue a fox through her garden - Maxine claims hounds chased a fox through her garden at The Coach House in Station Road, Ottringham    A horrified student today spoke out after an East Yorkshire hunt marauded over her family's garden. Maxine Budding expressed her outrage after the Holderness Hunt's hounds pursued a fox through the garden in Ottringham, near Withernsea.

The 18-year-old claims the hounds chased the fox into a field at the rear of the property, The Coach House in Station Road. Hunt officials denied any fox was killed and police said there was no evidence of any offence being committed.

Miss Budding said: "We saw the fox run into our garden followed by a pack of baying hounds, who chased it into a field at the back. The huntsmen were next to the garden, but I did not see them make any attempt to stop the hounds."

The incident took place after the Hunt met at nearby Halsham on February 10th. She said: "I was horrified and then really annoyed by what I saw."

Police were alerted and a hunt official apologised to them and the owners of the property on the edge of the village.

POWA wrote to the Chief Constable as follows -  

25-2-09   To Mr Tim Hollis, Chief Constable, Humberside Police Headquarters, Priory Police Station Holderness Hunt - Hull Daily Mail    In the Hull Daily Mail (19th Feb:) it was reported that the Holderness Hunt’s ‘baying’ hounds were witnessed chasing a fox through a garden and into a field. Witnesses also stated that the huntsmen were next to the garden but that they were not seen making any attempt to stop the hounds. The newspaper report stated that the joint Master of the Hunt admitted that the hounds had run across the garden, but was not aware they were pursuing a fox.

A Humberside Police spokesperson is quoted as saying that the police had investigated two complaints about the Hunt that day, but added, “However, at this time no dead fox has been located and as such there is no evidence of any offences.”

Assuming the news report is accurate (I accept that this is a big assumption!) we are baffled by your spokesperson’s comment. As you aware the hunting of a wild animal with dogs is an offence, whether or not the result is a ‘kill’.  

A witness says that the ‘baying’ hounds were chasing a fox and that the hunters were close by but were not attempting to stop them. So there clearly was ‘evidence’ of an offence, even if it turned out later for example, that the witness was unreliable, or that the hounds were not ‘baying’ , but merely wandering about, or that other witnesses stated that a fox was ‘accidentally’ hunted, but that the Huntsman had successfully called them off, etc etc.

Our concern is that if your spokesperson’s statement is accurate, it wrongly gives the impression that hunting foxes with dogs is fine, provided the fox is not actually killed. We would be grateful for you comments on this incident.

19-2-09  thisishullandeastriding.co.uk    Apology after hounds run through garden   Hunt officials today apologised after foxhounds ran through a private garden in an East Yorkshire village.The angry property owners at Ottringham also complained that the Holderness Hunt was chasing a fox. Police were alerted and a hunt official apologised to them and the owners of the property on the edge of the village, near Withernsea.

Today, farmer Chris Richardson, hunt joint master, said: "We temporarily lost sight of the hounds near the village while following an artificial trail. Because it was so wet, the huntsman was staying clear of a field of standing crops to avoid any damage and that's when the hounds ran across the garden. We were not aware that hounds were pursuing a fox and got them back together as quickly as possible without any damage being done." Mr Richardson said it was an unfortunate incident and the hunt had apologised to all concerned.

He said: "The hounds did not career though Ottringham and it was something that happened on the edge of the village. We are not in the habit of letting hounds run through private gardens and it is the first complaint we have had this season. If there had been any damage we would have put it right straight away."

The incident happened after the hunt had met at Halsham, near Ottringham, on Tuesday, February 10^th. A Humberside Police spokesman said they had investigated two complaints about the Hunt at Ottringham but there was no evidence of any offence being committed.

The first call from a member of public shortly after midday was over concerns about horses, hounds and vehicles potentially obstructing the road. He said: "At about 1pm, a second person reported that the hunt had run into his garden in Station Road and a fox had been attacked by hounds. Police officers attended the area and located members of the Hunt and spoke to a number of them. They were made aware of the allegation of damage, trespass and upset caused to local residents however at this time no dead fox has been located and as such there is no evidence of any offences."

Horse badly injured after Avon Vale FH hounds invade farm

The pack went on to cause mayhem at a cat rescue centre

2-2-09  Wiltshire Times    Anger after hunt dogs run amok    THE League Against Cruel Sports has criticised the Avon Vale Hunt after hounds ran onto a farm near Trowbridge and frightened a horse causing it to injure itself.

The 56-year-old owner of the two-and-a half-year-old horse called Billy said she was 'shocked and outraged' after it tried to escape from hounds by scaling a fence, badly injuring itself in the process.The pack then continued to cause chaos when they entered a nearby cat rescue centre.

The owner of the horse, said: "The Hunt clearly had no control over their hounds and it was extremely distressing for both myself and my horse, who suffered severe lacerations to his legs and required expensive veterinary attention, not to mention the emotional trauma he suffered."

Matt Fox, the League's hunting campaigner, said: "Unfortunately this is the latest in a long line of hunt havoc incidents. It is unacceptable that some hunts believe they are above the law."

The police were contacted by the owner of the horse about the incident which happened at about 1.30pm on Saturday..

Cameron appoints fanatic hunter as shadow Defra Secretary

1-2-09  Horse & Hound  [no longer online]   Huntsman and farmer join new shadow cabinet    DAVID CAMERON's appointment of a "true countryman" to the new shadow cabinet is the strongest sign yet of the Conservative Party's commitment to rural issues. Nick Herbert, the new shadow environment secretary, was a former political director of the British Field Sports Society (BFSS) and founding member of the Countryside Movement — now the Countryside Alliance (CA)… Mr Herbert was master and huntsman of the Newmarket Beagles for 14 seasons. Before that he was master and huntsman of the Trinity Foot Beagles and whipped-in to the Essex Foxhounds… 

Woman eventer becomes Worcestershire FH Huntsman

27-1-09   Worcester News   It may be a hard and difficult job, but someone has to do it   Considering she has tackled the formidable fences at both Badminton and Burghley international horse trials four times each, event rider Natasha Wheeler is obviously up for a challenge. But now she is facing possibly her most difficult yet, because the 30-something from Hartlebury, near Stourport-on- Severn, has taken over hunting the Worcestershire Hounds for the rest of the season. This follows a serious injury to the Worcestershire’s professional huntsman Ian Starsmore… In 1993 she joined the joint mastership of the Albrighton Woodland Hunt and served for six seasons... The pack, which is kennelled at Hurcott, near Kidderminster, is now hunted by its master Peter Swann, but when he was injured in a fall last season, Natasha stepped up to carry the horn for two months until he recovered...

Hunt in Shropshire kills fox right outside animal rescue centre

'It died in my blood-soaked hands' - rescue centre volunteer 

16-1-09 Huntwatch Hunt hounds kill fox outside animal rescue charity The League Against Cruel Sports is condemning a Shropshire hunt which lost control of its hounds resulting in a fox being chased and ripped to shreds in front of distressed onlookers. The attack happened outside an animal sanctuary near Shrewsbury.

Mike Clayden, who is a volunteer at the Grinshill animal rescue charity was horrified by what was happening, he said: 'It died in my blood soaked hands. It was particularly upsetting to see a wild animal killed in such a barbaric way. I believe in many cases the hunting ban is being totally ignored by Hunts.'

The League's hunting campaigner Matt Fox said: 'Incidents like this are unfortunately all too common with Hunts regularly losing control of their hounds resulting in horrific consequences.'

Scots Borders dog walker finds self in middle of fox hunt

15-1-09  Southern Reporter  [no longer online]  Dog owner's hunt ordeal   Walking my labrador and new puppy on a quiet country road, I saw a fox run across the single track, bolting into a densely-wooded area. I soon discovered why – a hunting horn sounded and I could hear hounds howling… I was terrified that the hounds would go for my puppy or elderly dog, and I prayed they’d lose the scent of the fox, whose terror I could totally identify with in that moment…   Joyce M. Brown, Minto Place, Hawick

Anti filmed Carmarthenshire FH hunting fox on Boxing Day

14-1-09   Carmarthen Journal    Haven't we moved on? In the Carmarthen Journal (January 7) a lot of coverage was given to hunting, with three full pages devoted to recent hunts and a considerable number of quotes from someone who wasn't even there. Simon Hart, the Conservative parliamentary candidate and chief executive of the Countryside Alliance…

Unlike most of the people who gathered to watch this "glorious tradition", I continued to follow the Carmarthenshire Hunt, which had many guest riders from other Hunts to make up the numbers. When the hunt reached open fields north of Trevaughan, I filmed a terrified fox running for its life, just two fields away from the dogs…   David Petersen, St Clears

DECEMBER 2008

….. 30th December - Farmer dies in fall while hunting with Beaufort FH

….. 26th December - Plan for tribunal to oversee hunting after repeal

….. 25th December - Beaufort FH support show disregard for own children's safety 

….. 23rd December - 'Fat Lady' & racehorse trainer to be tried for being at hare coursing event

….. 14th December - John McDonnell MP tables EDM to strengthen Hunting Act

….. 13th December - Warks FH hound injured by car as pack chase fox across A44

….. 10th December - Heythrop FH supporter convicted of assaulting woman monitor

…..  9th December - Norfolk landowner denies allowing hare coursing event

…..  2nd December - S. Durham FH hounds snapped running on roads 

Farmer dies in fall while hunting with Beaufort FH

30-12-08  Daily Telegraph   Farmer dies on Princes' hunt    A dairy farmer has died after being thrown from his horse while taking part in his 65th hunting season. David Hall, 73, suffered what has been described as a "freak accident" when he fell from his horse and broke his neck at Westonbirt - just a mile from the Prince of Wales' Highgrove Estate near Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

Immediately after the tragedy the hunt was called off and the hounds were returned to the kennels as a mark of respect for Mr Hall, who was enjoying his 65th season with the Duke of Beaufort Hunt based at nearby Badminton.

The Prince and sons William and Harry regularly join the Beaufort Hunt, which passes near the Highgrove estate, but were not taking part that day.

He was a tenant farmer on the Duke's Badminton estate. Hunt secretary Nigel Maidment said: "As I understand it David took his horse into a fence and it stopped - what we call a really 'dirty stop', when the horse goes into a fence as though it is going to jump and doesn't - and he was catapulted out of the saddle and broke his neck. "He died instantly. The air ambulance came and all credit to them because they did a marvellous job and worked tirelessly to revive him but it was no good. It was a freak accident. I have been hunting for 30 years and I have only ever seen it once before. He was so in tune with horses it was the last person you would expect it to happen to. It is a huge loss to the community."

Mr Hall, of Parks Farm, Badminton, leaves wife Helen, 64, and two sons Philip, 37, and Richard, 40. His wife Helen, 64, said: "He was so happy and had had a wonderful morning hunting before he died, that is what we are remembering. We have been devastated, but know that if he had to choose a way to go then on the hunting field, following hounds on a good horse would have been it. David was a wonderful husband and as a diary farmer he had worked hard all his life."

Plan for tribunal to oversee hunting after repeal

26-12-08  Times  [no longer online]   Tories get ready for a repeal of foxhunting ban    A tribunal to deal with any wrongdoing by huntsmen and women would be set up if the law that prohibits hunting with hounds were repealed under a Conservative government. It would have the power to fine, suspend and even ban people from taking part if they were found to have broken the rules or brought hunting into disrepute… The plan, which is still being finalised, has been drawn up by a “repeal committee” of hunting chiefs and parliamentarians, chaired by the Conservative MP Edward Garnier, QC….

'Fat Lady' & racehorse trainer to face trial for being at hare coursing event

23-12-08   Scarborough Evening News    Clarissa given hare-coursing trial date    A trial date has been fixed for celebrity chef Clarissa Dickson Wright and racehorse trainer Sir Mark Prescott, who face charges relating to alleged involvement in a hare coursing event…. The private prosecution was brought by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The case will be heard on August 24….

Five other people are also being prosecuted for similar offences by the Crown Prosecution Service. They are Miles Henry Easterby, 79, of Great Habton in Malton, Andrew Lund-Watkinson, 58, of Newton-on-Rawcliffe near Pickering, John Shaw, 55, of Welburn in Kirkbymoorside, Jacqueline Ann Teal, 43, of Scarborough Road in Norton and Elizabeth Margaret Gibson, 45, of Appleton-le-Street in Malton. Their case will be heard on July 27…

Norfolk landowner denies allowing hare coursing event

9-12-08  Eastern Daily Press   Norfolk landowner denies coursing charge    A prominent landowner was accused of allowing illegal blood sports on her Norfolk estate at the opening of a landmark trial yesterday. Mary Birkbeck, 77, denies permitting her land at Little Massingham to be used for hare coursing - an outlawed country pursuit in which greyhounds compete to chase and “turn” their quarry.

She appeared alongside two other defendants at King's Lynn Magistrates' Court - Les Anderson, 80, of Lodge Road, Feltwell, and Robert Fryer, 41, from Tring in Hertfordshire…. the charges against Fryer - accused of participating as the “slipper” who unleashes the dogs - were dismissed after district judge Philip Browning ruled the evidence against him to be inadmissible.

The case is the first of its kind to be brought by the RSPCA after coursing meetings, once a mainstay of the rural calendar, were banned with the introduction of the Hunting Act in 2005… But Stephen Welford, defending, said Birkbeck and Anderson believed the event to be a legal “field trial”… “The defendants say it was field trials and they faxed rules to the police in an attempt to seek police sanction for their actions… Sgt Christopher Flanagan, of Hunstanton police, told the court he had given Anderson permission to hold the event after confirming with a wildlife-crime officer that the faxed regulations complied with the new laws…

S. Durham FH hounds snapped running on roads

2-12-08    Email from hunt monitor   Here are some pics of the South Durham hunt in Carlton, near Sedgefield on 29.11.08. As you can see the mythical 'trails' have been laid across roads...

Hunt hounds scattering out onto public roads (putting the public great at risk) is something that happens regularly across the country but there is no sanction from the authorities.

Falconers criticise Hunts using birds to evade hunting ban

27-11-08  North Devon Journal [no longer online]   Hunt continues under Claude's eagle eye    A falconer has criticised a West country hunt for using an eagle owl to get around the ban on fox hunting. George Hedges, of Devon's Eagles, warned that the South Devon Hunt's practice of hunting with a bird of prey and a pack of hounds could put the bird's life at risk…. But Ian Pearse, Hunt Master at the South Devon Hunt, based near Ashburton, said there had been no incidents of birds being injured by hounds*, despite almost four years of using them to hunt throughout the country…

But Nick Kester, spokesman for the Hawk Board, said the organisation was "vehemently opposed" to the use of birds of prey for fox hunting: "We disapprove entirely. Birds of prey and hunting with hounds are not compatible."

POWAperson comments  - That'll be because they never actually fly the birds, just cart them around all day in cramped containers, bouncing around on quad bikes. Their only purpose is to have to hand so they can claim to be using the ridiculous Falconry Exemption.  

Top Gear's Richard Hammond to start hunting with Ledbury FH

15-11-08  Daily Telegraph    Hunting gives Richard Hammond new thrill    Undeterred by the serious brain injury that he suffered in a high-speed crash two years ago, Richard Hammond has taken up another dangerous pastime. Mandrake learns that the Top Gear presenter, known as the Hamster, enjoyed riding to hounds so much for an episode of the popular BBC series that he plans to become a member of his local Hunt.

"I shall be joining the field as soon as I can and learning from scratch and away from the annoying but, for me, mortgage-paying glare of the cameras about the finer points of riding with the hunt," says Hammond, 38. He joined the Ledbury Hunt, in Gloucestershire, earlier this year to chase his fellow presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who was dressed as a fox. He says he found the experience so exhilarating that he will ride to hounds regularly. I need to find a horse, yes, to source some kit that fits, and try to remember not to call them dogs," says the Hamster, who thanks the members of the Ledbury "for their willingness to welcome an irritating stranger on a borrowed horse who clearly is no more a horseman than he is a brain surgeon". One of the Ledbury's joint masters is David Redvers, who joined Otis Ferry when they stormed the House of Commons.

CA chief complains of heavy monitoring of certain Hunts

28-10-08  Wiltshire Gazette   Hunts in the West a constant target   Hunt leaders are continuing their fight against the banning of the blood sport after a report revealed groups in the West suffer the most attention from anti-hunt monitors. In a call for unity from Countryside Alliance chief executive Simon Hart, the pro-hunt leader admitted supporters in the north and the east of England were questioning the need for a repeal of the controversial hunt ban – because few of them ever saw an anti-hunt monitor.

But, in a candid assessment of the situation, Mr Hart said Hunts across the West were "suffering" from being constantly monitored and their colleagues in the north should remember that.

Anti-hunt groups once again launched a new recruitment drive for hunt monitors amid claims hunts are continuing to routinely break the ban four years on from its inception.

Writing in The Field magazine, Mr Hart [left] said the experience of hunters in the West was unlike those from any other part of Britain under the hunt ban. He said: "Few packs in the North ever see an anti-hunting activist and monitoring of hunting activity is carried out, as it should be, by local police forces. Allegations of illegal hunting are rare and prosecutions unheard of, which has led some to question whether pursuing the repeal of the Hunting Act is a sensible strategy."

Mr Hart cited the experiences of two West huntsmen, Julian Barnfield [right] from the Cotswold-based Heythrop Hunt, who is currently facing two separate court cases over illegal hunting, and Charlie Watts, from the Cattistock, in Dorset, who is monitored by anti-hunt activists every week. He said: "They have the dubious honour of hunting the two most scrutinised packs in Britain. They know exactly why repeal is an urgent necessity, not just a nice idea. Each sees more anti-hunting activists in a month than every pack in the North sees in a season. Both have been questioned by the police over allegations made by anti-hunt activists."

Talking about his recent prosecutions, which are awaiting the outcome of the High Court interpretation of the Hunting Act in the wake of the Tony Wright case on Exmoor, Mr Barnfield described the anti-hunt monitoring of his pack as 'vindictive scrutiny'. He said: "I don't care what you are doing – driving a car, running a restaurant – that level of vindictive scrutiny is bound to lead to some sort of allegation, and it could happen to anyone. We get targeted because we are a high-profile hunt with activists living in our country. Charlie has antis in his patch and on Exmoor they have full-time League Against Cruel Sports employees. Anyone could end up in the same boat, and if it's you I promise you don't question whether or not we need to get rid of this stupid law."

The League Against Cruel Sports is once again appealing for help to monitor even more Hunts. A spokesman said: "Of course, we are hoping that hunters will obey the law, but if they do not, it is important that the police investigate them and that they end up being prosecuted in the courts. In particular, it is important to understand the difference between a proper 'drag hunt', and the illegal hunting of wild mammals. The League receives many allegations of illegal hunting when Hunts claim to undertake legal activities but in reality are disguising what we suspect are illegal activities."

Drug-addict hunter's death from opiates ruled accidental

24-10-08   Western Gazette [no longer online]  Popular Somerset huntsman was killed by opiates    A huntsman found dead in his car near Langport six months ago died accidentally, an inquest has ruled. James Palmer, aged 38, had battled with drug addiction for many years, but East Somerset Coroner Tony Williams said he believed he had not intended to take his own life. Mr Palmer lived near Drayton and rode with the Seavington and Taunton Vale Hunts…

More than 300 people attended his funeral at Drayton the following week. "He seemed to touch so many people's lives, but he could not cope with his own," his mother said. Mr Williams recorded a verdict of accident.

Police seek for Hunts to inform them of time & date of meets

18-10-08   Times  [no longer online]  Police on the trail of hunts to stop hounds killing foxes ‘by accident’    Police forces in England and Wales are demanding to be informed of the time and place of hunts to prevent the illegal killing of foxes as the pursuit enjoys a renaissance four years after it was banned. The new season begins on November 1st and next week the Crawley and Horsham hunt will go to the High Court on behalf of an alliance of 88 landowners to try to ban animal welfare activists from 100,000 acres of countryside in West Sussex…

Police chiefs are reviewing their guidance for policing hunts this season. Many officers liaising with hunts are demanding that they should be more open. All the Hunts in Hampshire have signed an agreement to inform the county police their activities…

Ban or no ban, Edward Winnington, 20, is training for a career in hunting. He is taking a one-year apprenticeship in hunt kennels management, working with the Vale of Aylesbury hunt in Buckinghamshire….. He is one of ten young people working with Hunts and training for a City and Guilds NVQ in animal care…

ACPO stages conference on policing of the Hunting Act

14-10-08  daelnet - Yorkshire Dales Country News    North Yorkshire hosts conference on policing of hunting    National policing and legal issues surrounding the Hunting Act were the focus of attention at a special conference hosted by North Yorkshire Police recently.

Staged at the Royal York Hotel in York, the Association of Chief Police Officers’ event included guest speakers from the Crown Prosecution Service, International Fund for Animal Welfare, League Against Cruel Sports, Countryside Alliance and Masters of Foxhounds Association.

The delegates in attendance were policy makers and practitioners from forces and CPS from around the country that have responsibility for policing or prosecuting offences under the 2004 Hunting Act, which came into effect on 18 February 2005.

The conference was opened by Assistant Chief Constable David Collins from North Yorkshire Police, who currently holds the ACPO portfolio for Rural Affairs. The audience also received a speech via video from Vernon Coaker MP, the Minister of State for Policing, Security and Crime.

ACC Collins said: “Hunting in England and Wales is a very emotive subject and those who are either pro or opposed to hunting are passionate about their subject. The guest speakers from all sides of the issue put their views across to the audience, and in turn were on hand to address the questions that were raised. I am hopeful that every person who attended came to understand and appreciated each others’ views on this subject, as we all had something to learn from each other.”

Robbie Marsland, Director of International Fund for Animal Welfare UK, said: "I would like to thank ACPO for organising this much-needed conference. It has provided a unique opportunity for animal welfare groups to share our experience and expertise with officers from across the country. IFAW looks forward to working constructively with police forces to ensure the Hunting Act is enforced."

Simon Hart, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: "The Countryside Alliance is working with ACPO and local police forces to ensure that the crucial relationship between rural people and their police is not threatened by the Hunting Act. The common sense approach of Hunts and the police in the last three and a half years is a credit to both parties and has averted the worst predictions. We look forward to a time when both huntsmen and police officers will not have to judge what is legal hunting."

Douglas Batchelor, Chief Executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “Crimes against wildlife are just as much a crime as any other and while we recognise that the police and the CPS take these matters seriously, we also recognise that a certain level of knowledge and expertise is required in order to ensure successful prosecutions. The League has this expertise and we have shown over the years since the Hunting Act came into force that we are prepared to use this to assist the police in bringing to justice those extremists who illegally hunt and kill animals with a total lack of regard for the law. Three years on though and enough is enough - it’s time to get tough with illegal hunters.

New MORI poll show Conservative voters want Hunting Act kept

27-9-08   Western Daily Press   [no longer online]  Hunters scream bias as poll reveals most support ban    Even people who consider themselves Conservative voters do not want to see the ban on hunting repealed, a controversial poll to be released tomorrow will say. The Western Daily Press can reveal a new MORI poll shows a majority of Tory supporters want to retain the Hunting Act, despite the party itself pledging a repeal as soon as it gains office.

But the poll itself has sparked fury among hunt supporters amid claims the question asked a sample of more than 2,000 voters by the respected polling organisation MORI was biased against hunting. It is understood the Countryside Alliance is to complain about the way MORI conducted the poll, eight months after having a similar complaint against the polling organisation upheld…

AUGUST 2008

….. 24th August - Hunting Act left out of new edition of policing manual

….. 20th August - Boy 'heartbroken' after his pet cat was killed by hunt dog 

…..  5th August - Heythrop FH Huntsman facing three illegal hunting charges 

Hunting Act left out of new edition of policing manual

24-8-08   Horse & Hound    Hunting Act removed from latest edition of police manual    The Hunting Act has been removed from the 2008 edition of Blackstone's Police Manual, the required reading for officers taking exams for promotion to sergeant and inspector. A spokesman for publisher Oxford University Press said: "We have completely reviewed the manual this year to make it as focused as possible on the promotion exams. "The National Policing Improvement Agency asked those within the force to identify areas they thought could be cut from the book. The Hunting Act was one…

Heythrop FH Huntsman facing three illegal hunting charges 

5-8-08  Guardian   Huntsman denies charges in first state prosecution    The first Huntsman to be prosecuted by the state for hunting a fox denied the charges against him yesterday. Julian Barnfield, 44, who works for the Heythrop Hunt, which operates in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, faces three counts of hunting a wild mammal with dogs. He was charged under the Hunting Act 2004.

Previous high-profile hunting cases have involved activists rather than the state taking huntsmen to court. A state prosecution of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds is currently the subject of a judicial review. Barnfield's case was adjourned until November 3rd at Cheltenham magistrates court.

Landmark Exmoor FH illegal hunting case to be resolved in High Court

19-7-08  Western Daily Press [no longer online]   High court sets new hearing for hunting ban case    The ban on hunting with dogs took another twist last night after a High Court judge said the case of the first man to be prosecuted for hunting foxes should be returned to court. But the saga of the case of Tony Wright, the Exmoor Foxhounds huntsman, is no nearer being finished – and until then almost all the other major prosecutions of West hunts cannot proceed.In

a highly technical hearing at the High Court in London, the Crown Prosecution Service appealed against a decision by a judge in Exeter last year… The CPS won a partial victory yesterday – if the High Court had thrown out their case it would have effectively spelled the end for that and other prosecutions, and thrown into doubt any effective use of the hunt ban in the future.

Anti-hunt campaigners emerged declaring they were “very pleased” with the outcome, but Countryside Alliance campaigners also emerged pleased, saying moves to effectively order a re-trial of Tony Wright were also dismissed. The High Court decided the judge in the original appeal did not fully explain his reasons for quashing the conviction and so ordered a new hearing in the autumn which will look into two specific points of law surrounding the Wright case. One will decide whether searching for foxes constitutes illegal hunting. The other, more crucial one, will decide where the burden of proof lies when a hunt claims it is arguing it was hunting using one of the ban's exemptions…

That is also a key question in the prosecution of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds… On Monday, the next chapter in the hunt ban will take place at Witney, when a huntsman from the Gloucestershire-based Heythrop Hunt faces his first charge of hunting illegally.

Residents oppose plan for N. Shropshire FH kennel plans

18-7-08  Shropshire Star    Warning by residents of danger from kennel plan    Hounds from a planned hunting kennel in Shropshire will cause delays to traffic and endanger family pets, nearby residents have warned. Hounds from a planned hunting kennel in Shropshire will cause delays to traffic and endanger family pets, nearby residents have warned.

Villagers living near the proposed site of the North Shropshire Hunt kennels in Greenfields, Ossage Lane, Whixall, are also concerned about noise and the smell from the complex. About 70 people turned out at a public meeting called by Wem Rural Parish Council and Whixall Parish Council to discuss the plans after a formal application was submitted to North Shropshire District Council, the local planning authority. The hunt is currently based at Lee Brockhurst, but is looking to move to Whixall because there is a risk the kennels will pollute the river at the current site.

Hounds from a planned hunting kennel in Shropshire will cause delays to traffic and endanger family pets, nearby residents have warned.Villagers living near the proposed site of the North Shropshire Hunt kennels in Greenfields, Ossage Lane, Whixall, are also concerned about noise and the smell from the complex.

About 70 people turned out at a public meeting called by Wem Rural Parish Council and Whixall Parish Council to discuss the plans after a formal application was submitted to North Shropshire District Council, the local planning authority.

The Hunt is currently based at Lee Brockhurst, but is looking to move to Whixall because there is a risk the kennels will pollute the river at the current site.

Charles Thelwell, from Whixall, said he was concerned about children walking to school when hounds were being exercised on the roads and about people having the hounds running through their gardens. He said: "We shouldn't have children walking or riding along the roads where hounds have fouled."

Alex Hutchinson, from Whixall, said: "There are cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, and there is a big concern the hounds would not be controlled to the extent the animals would be safe."

Duncan Ferguson, a director of the Hunt, told the meeting the hounds were not excessively noisy and would be exercised on the fields before the roads, to minimise pollution on the road. He said, when they were out, they would be kept under strict control.

Residents have until July 24 to comment on the plans, which are available to view at http://www.northshropshiredc.gov.uk/.

Sabs call for boycott of pubs who host Hunt meets

11-7-08  Chester Chronicle   Saboteurs call for boycott of pro-hunt pubs  Publicans in rural Cheshire are on the frontline in the battle between pro and anti-hunt supporters. The North West Hunt Saboteurs Association has posted a blacklist of country watering holes on its website to put pressure on licensees to break all links with hunt members…. Carolyn Ross-Lowe, landlady of The Cholmondeley Arms, whose pub is blacklisted, says the Cheshire Hunt is welcome…

PM's step-father to be Vice Chair of Hunting Act Repeal Committee

3-7-08  Horse & Hound [no longer online]   New political body to fight for repeal of the Hunting Act   A new political body has been set up within the hunting community to push for repeal of the Hunting Act and to prepare for hunting's role afterwards. The new repeal committee takes over the political lobbying aspect of the Council of Hunting Associations (CHA) that was set up in 2001 to fight the Hunting Act 2004 and brought together the 11 hunting associations in the UK. A 21-strong committee of professional hunt staff, politicians and Countryside Alliance staff, chaired by MP Edward Garnier QC, met in London last Wednesday...

11-7-08  Times   Repeal of the Hunting Act clearly remains a hot issue in the Cameron family    Lord Astor, a regular with the Old Berkshire Hunt, who is married to the mother of Samantha Cameron, has agreed to become vice-chairman of the Repeal Committee, which is to lead the campaign to scrap the ban on the sport…