CONVICTED (2024) | Alexander Hamilton, born c. 1959, of 112 Windsor Drive, Penicuik EH26 8EP – trapped and starved magpies to death in his garden.
Hamilton, a former gamekeeper, pleaded guilty to confining /ibirds in illegal cages in his garden.
A trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard how Hamilton deprived the animals of food, water and adequate shelter, which caused them deep distress.
His disturbing operation was uncovered by SSPCA animal welfare officers on July 29, 2022, after the alarm was raised by a neighbour who witnessed two of the birds being trapped at his property.
The magpies were discovered locked up in several small metal cages, as another bird was found lying dead on paving slabs outside.
Animal welfare officers reported how three of the traps were found in the bottom corner of Hamilton’s garden, hidden from the rest of the area by a large fencing panel. They discovered the first trap to be an illegal Larsen Mate trap containing one magpie, which was crammed into the tiny space and in poor condition.
In the second cage, another magpie was found in poor bodily condition. It had managed to squeeze through the mesh on the floor and enter a space underneath the adjacent shed.
The court heard how SSPCA officers could hear the bird scraping and pecking at the wooden floor, in a clear state of distress. After intervention, the magpies were released from the cages and into the wild.
Commenting on his sentence, SSPCA Chief Inspector Mark Rafferty, Special Investigation Unit, said: “We are pleased with the five-year ban at the sentencing result. All animals should be protected from suffering and this includes magpies.
“Our team treats these cases seriously and it is good to see that the courts share this view. We will continue to investigate this type of offending, to ensure people like Hamilton are caught and stopped from further cruelty acts.
“I would like to thank the Procurator Fiscal Karon Rollo and the Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit.”
Sentencing | 100 hours of community service. Five-year ban on owning and keeping animals (expires March 2029).
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