CONVICTED (2024) | Danny Mitchell, born c. 2003, of 3 Hazelwood Lane, Binfield, Bracknell RG42 5NE and Tommy Cole, born c. 2004, of The Paddock travellers site, Lyne Road, Virginia Water GU25 4ET – for hare coursing.
Mitchell and Cole, who are both travellers, were banned from keeping dogs for two years after being convicted of hare coursing.
They were found guilty of one count each of being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs.
The pair were caught on November 30, 2023, during a mobile patrol in the Maidenhead area by officers from Thames Valley Police’s Rural Crime Taskforce.
While travelling along Howe Lane, near the B3024 and Paley Street, the officers identified a white Peugeot Partner van parked in a remote layby just in front of a farm gate leading into a dark agricultural field.
Mitchell and Cole, who had two whippet-type dogs, then approached on foot between the parked van and the farm gate.
Instantly, Mitchell became defensive and began recording his interaction with police on his mobile phone.
The officers detained Mitchell and found a handheld catapult and a handful of ball bearings inside his front jacket pocket.
The officers also found a high-powered lamp connected to a battery pack and a slip lead inside the van, as well as a second lamp, and another lead under the van – all items commonly used in hare coursing.
The officers arrested the men and seized their dogs, van and equipment. They were charged the following day.
Investigating officer PC Lewis Tillyer, of the Rural Crime Taskforce, said the conviction was a first for the force.
The officer said: “This is a great example of how police and the Crown Prosecution Service can work together to crack down on hare coursing across the Thames Valley to create a hostile environment for rural offenders.
“Hare coursing is an illegal activity where dogs are used to chase, catch and kill hares.
“It is a serious problem in rural areas that has a major impact on the rural community, and involves cruelty to dogs and wild animals, as well as damage to land which will not be tolerated.
“I am also glad that Danny Mitchell and Tommy Cole will not be allowed to own dogs for the next two years and have to reimburse the force for looking after the dogs they had with them.”
The dogs found during the hare-coursing case have been re-homed.
Sentencing | ordered to pay the force £600 in kennelling costs, £300 in court costs and a £26 victim surcharge. Two-year ban on keeping dogs (expires August 2026).