CONVICTED (2023) | Leslie Shooter, born c. 1966, of Constable Road, Hunmanby, Filey YO14 0LH – inflicted horrific injuries on a barn owl.
On April 8, 2023, a dog walker discovered the badly-injured adult barn owl caught in a spring-operated trap in the allotments at Sands Lane, Hunmanby.
The bird was rescued and taken to a vet, but due to the severity of the injuries to its legs it had to be euthanised.
When spoken to by North Yorkshire Police, the tenant of the plot, Leslie Shooter, stated that he had set a number of traps to control rats. However, he had not covered the traps as required by law, resulting in the trapping of the bird.
In court, Shooter pleaded guilty to using an animal trap in circumstances for which it is not approved, causing a trap to be set to cause injury to a wild bird and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Sentencing | 100 hours of unpaid work requirement; £199 in costs and surcharges.
Spring-operated traps, often referred to as ‘Fenn’ traps, can be legally operated in the UK, but their use and target species is strictly controlled by legislation. Potential offences include use whilst uncovered, neglect in checking and use to capture wild birds.