CONVICTED (2024) | Mitchell Stuart Wright, born September 1990, of 20 Cartwright Road, Sutton Coldfield B75 5LF – kept birds of prey in appalling conditions.
Wright had 23 protected species of birds inside aviaries in Whitehill Road, Ellistown, Coalville, when officers arrived in September 2023.
Police said he was keeping the birds in poor conditions and did not have the right paperwork.
Leicestershire Police said Wright failed to hold the correct paperwork for the birds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
He pleaded guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, of failing to prevent the causing of unnecessary suffering of an animal, failing to ensure animal welfare and possessing unregistered birds.
Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team said: “We are really pleased with this result at court and are grateful to all those who helped us with caring for the birds, advising us and giving their expert opinions and statements. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
His birds are now being cared for by local falconers.
Sentencing | 12-month community order, which includes 15 days of rehabilitation requirement and 200 hours of unpaid work; fined £85 towards Crown Prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping any animals for five years (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2023) | Leslie Shooter, born c. 1966, of Constable Road, Hunmanby, Filey YO14 0LH – inflicted horrific injuries on a barn owl.
The barn owl suffered fatal injuries when it became caught in a rat trap set by Les Shooter.
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.
CONVICTED (2023) | Moy Estate gamekeeper Rory Parker, born c. 1998, of Drumbain Cottage, Moy, Tomatin, Inverness IV13 7XW – shot and killed a protected bird of prey in a pre-meditated attack.
Rory Parker was fined £1,575 after he admitted shooting a sparrowhawk on the notorious grouse-shooting Moy Estate, which is owned by Celia Mackintosh but leased out to an unnamed tenant.
In a video filmed by an RSPB Scotland investigations team, Parker was seen firing two shots into the air as the bird, a protected species, flew overhead at Tom Na Slaite, Ruthven, on 16 September 2021.
The video shows a plastic “decoy” owl on a fence post, which the RSPB said was most likely being used to attract birds of prey.
Parker, who is stood near the owl, can be seen to raise a gun and fire two shots, before scrambling over moorland to collect a bird which is clearly still alive but injured enough that it cannot escape.
Raptor Persecution provide commentary on what happened next. They wrote: “{Parker is] calm and proficient as he stamps his foot/knee on the bird to crush it, before casually picking it up and retuning to his hiding place in the bush. It appears to be quite routine and he does not look at all disturbed at having just committed a serious wildlife crime.”
The land where the sparrowhawk was shot is used for pheasant and partridge shoots and is managed by a tenant of the Moy Estate.
The court heard police recovered two shotgun cartridges and feathers from the site of the sparrowhawk shooting.
In court, Parker admitted the offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Mark Moir KC, defending, told Sheriff Sara Matheson that his client had been in his job since he left school.
Mr Moir said: “He is deeply shameful of what he has done. He has brought the estate into disrepute and has now resigned.
“His firearms certificate is likely to be revoked as a result of this conviction. He should have been shooting pigeons and crows that day. Feral pigeons are a problem on the estate.
“However, the sparrowhawk flew over and there was a rush of blood. He says it was a stupid thing to do.”
Sheriff Matheson told Parker Scotland’s birds of prey were precious and deserved protection.
Following sentencing, RSPB Scotland said that parker was the 56th gamekeeper to be convicted of raptor persecution offences in Scotland since 1990.
Ian Thomson, head of investigations, said: “This conviction was the end result of exemplary partnership working between Police Scotland, RSPB Scotland, the Wildlife DNA Forensics team at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture and the Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit of Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.”
He said the persecution of birds of prey was continuing in Scotland “unabated”.
A spokesman for the Moy Estate said they had suspended Parker from his position after being made aware of the “unacceptable” incident. The spokesman further added that they are committed to maintaining the highest standards of game management.
Despite this assertion, the Moy Estate is currently under licence restrictions imposed by NatureScot in June 2022 after the police provided “robust evidence” that birds had been killed or taken illegally on the land.
All birds of prey are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and killing them is against the law, punishable by an unlimited fine and/or jail.
Shooting estates such as Moy may target them, however, for fear that they will predate and kill young grouse or eat eggs, reducing their numbers and making shooting less profitable.
CONVICTED (2022) | gamekeeper Matthew Stroud, born c. 1976, of Keepers Cottage, Fengate, Weeting, Brandon IP27 0QF – illegally shot and poisoned birds of prey.
Stroud dosed dead pheasants with poison as bait to kill buzzards in woodlands near Weeting Heath and Breckland Forest, which are both protected sites.
Appearing at Norwich Magistrates Court he admitted shooting five buzzards and one goshawk, the poisoning of another buzzard, the laying of poison baits and illegal possession of poisons including strychnine.
He also became the first person convicted for the unauthorised release of game birds on a Special Protection Area (SPA).
Despite the gravity of his offences Stroud walked free from court with a paltry fine and a community sentence.
The court heard an investigation was launched when RSPB officers found a young pheasant dead in Belvedere Wood, Weeting, on August 19, 2021, that had been poisoned.
Police later also searched Stroud’s home where they found three dead buzzards that x-rays showed had been shot. Two pheasant carcasses with extremely high levels of strychnine and a poisoned common buzzard were found in Belvedere Wood, protected because of its internationally important population of stone curlews. His mobile phone was also found to contain photos of a dead goshawk and five dead buzzards.
Stroud, a self-employed gamekeeper at Fengate Farm, pleaded guilty to six counts of killing a common buzzard and of killing a northern goshawk, both protected species. He also admitted possessing four shotguns to kill wild birds, poison without a licence and storing poison incorrectly and releasing 3,400 pheasants into the wild contrary to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Michael Horn, mitigating, said: “There has been a shoot in this area for over 300 years. In 2020 there were no shoots held for obvious reasons. The next year the defendant was, perhaps wrongfully and unlawfully, very keen to restart it.
“At the time these pheasants were being decimated by these buzzards. His livelihood was being decimated.”
Mark Thomas, head of RSPB Investigations UK, said: “It is difficult not to be disappointed with the outcome today considering the significance of the offences and combined efforts of the agencies involved.
“Laying poison baits out in the open is not only illegal but extremely dangerous and irresponsible.
“Baits like those being used at Fengate Farm present a deadly risk to any animal or person that might come across it. It is particularly troubling that this was happening on an SPA, a designated area where wildlife and nature should have the highest legal protection.”
PC Chris Shelley, Norfolk police rural crime officer, said: “This investigation is one of the biggest cases of its kind that we have dealt with in Norfolk. “Stroud’s actions were dangerous and inhumane – he shot and poisoned birds of prey as he saw fit, and at will, because it suited him to do so.
“He also used a highly dangerous poison – one that has been banned in the UK for the last 15 years – indiscriminately, which could have had a disastrous effect on other local wildlife and showed a scant disregard for the safety of others.”
In a statement the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) said: “There is no space for illegality in the countryside, nor in the shooting community.
“BASC has a zero-tolerance approach to the illegal killing of birds of prey. Shooting’s contribution to conservation efforts and the rural economy is too great to allow the criminal actions of a tiny minority jeopardise the ongoing benefits.
“Positively, these cases are becoming rarer and population levels of most UK birds of prey are at record highs, much of this is down to the conservation efforts of shooting interests.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work; fined £692.
CONVICTED (2022) | gamekeeper Archie Watson, born c. 2000, of Dragon Lane, Manningford Bruce, Pewsey SN9 6JE – caught dumping dead birds of prey in a well.
Archie Watson, pictured during his court appearance, was filmed dumping dead wild birds in a well.
Watson was prosecuted after secret filming caught him dumping dead buzzards, red kites and a herring gull on the farm where he worked.
He pleaded guilty to illegally possessing dead birds of prey after the animals were found in a well within the grounds of Galteemore Farm (aka the Farm at Avebury) in Beckhampton.
The charges related to five dead buzzards, three red kites, one herring.
He also admitted three counts of failing to comply with a firearm certificate after a loaded shotgun was discovered on the seat of his unlocked vehicle.
Magistrates heard that in August 2020 the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) launched a covert investigation after they received a tip-off about a gamekeeper at Galteemore Farm killing birds of prey and throwing their remains into a well.
Prosecuting, Ashley Petchey said an investigation team from the bird conservation charity attended the farm and installed hidden cameras around the well.
Watson walked free from court with a community order. Picture: Facebook.
Footage recorded by the camera showed a male attending the site on numerous occasions and on 12 August 2020, a male was captured placing a buzzard into the well. Wiltshire Police was informed and they were able to identify him as Watson.
Armed with video footage, the force attained a search warrant under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Supported by the RSPB, Natural England and the National Wildlife Crime Unit raided two separate addresses linked to Watson – including Galteemore Farm – in September 2020.
The farm’s owner, Robert Hues, was located and gave police Watson’s address. Watson was subsequently arrested at that address.
Specially trained rescue personnel entered the well and recovered the remains of numerous birds. As well as the protected red kites, buzzards and gull, dead pheasants were also located. The remains of a sheep and the skull of an unidentified mammal were also found.
In custody, Watson told officers that the buzzard he was recorded putting into the well was found dead under a tree. He said he used the well to dispose of birds and said the leg rings were found whilst metal detecting on land in Pewsey.
Mr Petchey said the birds’ cause of death could not be ascertained, though two of the buzzards located in the well did have metal in them.
Andy Lee, defending, said his client wished to make it clear he never caused unnecessary suffering or killed any birds or animals and there is “no evidence he has done so”.
He said Watson “came into possession of those birds after they have died” having discovered them on the farm’s land after they died. He said the birds were disposed of in the well after their death to “prevent the spread of disease”.
He added that there is “no evidence he had personally persecuted” the birds.
CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor Angharad Thomas said: “This is one of the largest prosecutions of someone being in possession of dead wild birds.
“Every wild bird is protected by law and it is an offence to even be in possession of one, dead or alive.
“A huge effort has gone into growing the red kite population in the UK, so to find three of them dead in that area is alarming and will have an impact on the success of this protected species.
“The CPS takes wildlife offences very seriously and will prosecute whenever our legal test is met.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 180 hours of unpaid work; ordered to pay the Fairtrade Access Fund £288.
CONVICTED (2022) | mother and son Joanne Denise Gilheaney, born 10 February 1981, and James Steven Daniel Gilheaney, born c. 2001, both of Cae Garw Travellers Site in Pyle, Bridgend – ran a squalid puppy farm and neglected animals in their care. Charges against a second son, Steven Gilheaney, appear not to have proceeded.
Joanne Gilheaney (far right) pictured with drug dealer husband, who died in 2018. Also pictured are three of her children including either Steven or James Gilheaney.
Joanne and Jimmy Gilheaney pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to 12 dogs by failing to provide adequate or effective professional veterinary care and attention for their skin diseases. They also admitted failing to meet the needs of 21 dogs by failing their need for a suitable living environment and failing to provide 10 dogs with suitable diet including continuous access to an adequate supply of clean, fresh drinking water.
In March 2021 police officers and RSPCA inspectors carried out a search of Cae Garw travellers site following concerns which had been raised about the treatment of animals.
The search focused on two plots belonging to the Gilheaney family which contained a series of pens and a horse box used for keeping animals in. RSPCA inspectors were “horrified by the health and environments of the animals” in what they described as a “small scale puppy farm” operating from the site.
The 21 dogs were found living in unhygienic and hazardous conditions. Many of the dogs – which included Yorkshire terriers, Saluki crosses, French bulldogs, Bichon Frise, Labradors, Patterdales, Jack Russell terriers and cocker spaniels – were found to be underweight.
All the adult dogs had skin ailments.
At the location there were three litters and a heavily pregnant bitch, who later went on to have six puppies.
The condition of one dog found living in a dark and wet horsebox – a Saluki called Fly who was extremely underweight and suffering with a skin disease – was so bad he had to be put down.
Another dog – a Jack Russell terrier with her pups – had fur loss and skin loss, and a possible burn on her back, while a female Labrador with puppies was in another pen which had little light or ventilation, and which was dirty and unhygienic.
Inspectors also found birds of prey living some of the pens as well as a donkey and five cob-type ponies. The donkey had overgrown hooves.
A total of 21 dogs were seized by the RSPCA but it was decided not to seize the birds of prey as they had belonged to the father of the family, convicted drug dealer Steven Gilheaney, who died in October 2018, and “it was thought it would cause violent confrontation” if steps were taken to remove them from the site.
Instead it was agreed that advice would be given to the Gilheaneys about improving the environment the birds were being kept in.
Joanne Gilheaney claimed all the litters of puppies bar one were “accidents”, and that she had intended to give the pups away to people who could not afford to buy pets.
She said none of the dogs had ever been seen by a vet because she couldn’t afford the bills, and said while she was aware of the smell coming from the pens as her caravan was close-by they were cleaned regularly, and the smell was due to the number of dogs all living together.
Joanne Gilheaney and her brood, including Steven and James.
Joanne Gilheaney’s son James – known as Jimmy – refused to attend a voluntary interview but in a prepared statement said he had done nothing wrong.
While sentencing the pair, the District Judge referred to there being a commercial element on what appeared to be a puppy farm.
The court heard neither of the defendants had a breeding licence.
RSPCA inspector Gemma Cooper said: “I was horrified by the animal’s overall health condition and the environments in which they were being kept. It also appeared that a small scale puppy farm was being run from this location.”
She added: “The conditions they were kept in were not acceptable and the owners were failing to meet their needs. One pen for example – which had eight dogs in – had no space for them to get away from each other, had no comfortable area for them to rest and was full of urine and faeces.
“Pens lacked sleeping areas and in one pen a head lamp was placed dangerously as it hung very close to a water bowl. Temperature control was lacking in all the pens as was clean, comfortable bedding and all the pens looked and smelt dirty.
“Also there were no sufficient beds and water bowls for the number of dogs to prevent competition and all the adult dogs needed veterinary treatment for various ailments.”
“When bringing the dogs out of the first two pens none of them knew how to walk on a lead and they were all terrified of the outside world. It was clear from their reactions that they have not been properly socialised and spend the majority of their time locked up in these pens and away from life”.
Several of the dogs were taken to RSPCA West Hatch Animal Centre – among other RSPCA centres – where they were given treatment for their conditions, and were successfully rehomed.
One of them, Flo, entered RSPCA care in a thin condition and had mange. On her first day at RSPCA West Hatch she was subdued but showed her playfulness by picking up a ragger and tried to play even though she looked like a skeleton. At the animal centre she went from strength to strength and her personality shone through more each day.
Inspector Cooper added: “When I first saw her she was extremely underweight and cowered in the corner. Her ribs and spine were visible and she looked pink where she had fur loss and her skin was red and inflamed. There were two bowls on the floor of her pen which were empty.
“I am delighted that Flo found her forever home – her transformation is just amazing.
“Thanks to a lot of love and care from staff at the animal centre they have transformed into happy and healthy dogs and it is lovely to know they are in their forever homes.”
Sentencing: nine weeks in prison suspended for 12 months; rehabilitation activity requirement; James Gilheaney must also complete 120 hours unpaid work. Both were banned from keeping any breed of dog for the next 10 years.
CONVICTED (2022) | so-called ‘terrier-man’ Dewi James Price, born 6 December 1981, of Commercial Street, New Tredegar, Caerphilly (now said to be no fixed abode) – killed a badger and kept a fox cub and red kite at his home.
Price, whose various Facebook profiles contain multiple disturbing images and videos showing wildlife being torn apart by dogs, had denied seven wildlife offences, including one occasion when he killed a badger in the Builth Wells area in Powys.
The other six offences related to May 2019 when in the Gelligaer area of Caerphilly county borough, Price twice disturbed a nesting red kite. On another occasion, he intentionally took a red kite and had the bird in his possession.
Price was found guilty of killing a badger in the Builth Wells area of Powys on February 18, 2018.
He was also found guilty of intentionally or recklessly disturbing a red kite while it was in, on or near a nest containing eggs or young and of intentionally or recklessly disturbing the dependent young of a red kite.
The RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit began investigating Price after pictures and videos on social media labelled “in Builth Wells” appeared to show a dead badger at the bottom of a digged area.
In June 2019, the RSPCA and police raided a property in Gelligaer where they found and seized the fox cub
The RSPCA said the cub had been kept in Price’s bedroom, and they had found food, water and faeces. Hunting DVDs were found including one called ‘Badger Diggers Dogs’.
A female black patterdale terrier type called Gypsy and a young female black patterdale with a white chest called Faith were found and seized.
Price’s mobile phone history showed searches for how to “train a red kite to hunt for you” and enquiries on finding kites.
Video footage from Price’s mobile phone from May 2019 showed him up a tree at a red kite’s nest where there were three live chicks and a parent red kite nearby. Another video on May 18, 2019 showed Price attempting to feed two chicks in the nest.
Another showed Price giving the chicks food and picking the young birds up. There were three chicks seen in the nest.
On May 19 Price sent a video including footage seemingly of a man-made nest in a cupboard, and another video showed the chick being fed by Price in the man-made nest. Further footage showed the chick being stroked while a radio played loudly..
During the police search at the Gelligaer property, no red kite chicks were found and the fate of the chick is unknown.
Chief inspector Ian Briggs said: “We’d like to remind people that wild animals such as birds and badgers are protected by law and, working with partner organisations, we’re here to ensure that they are safe in their natural habitats.
“We would particularly like to thank the Gwent Police Rural Crime Team for their support and assistance with this case.”
Rosamund Rutter, for Price, said her client had a history of mental health difficulties including schizophrenia, and also issues around the misuse of alcohol and amphetamine. She said her client now realises he needs support and assistance in relation to his mental health and also now understands the importance of taking his medication.
Sentencing: six months in prison – comprising five months for the badger offence and one month for the red kite offences to run consecutively – suspended for 12 months. He must also complete a rehabilitation course. He was ordered to pay a £125 contribution to the £9,946 costs of bringing the prosecution as well as a £25 fine or a breach of suspended sentence order and victim surcharge of £128. The court ordered Faith and Gypsy be taken off Price, and the defendant was banned from keeping dogs for two years (expires February 2024). The judge said the period of the ban would likely have been “much longer” had the case come to court sooner.
CONVICTED (2021) | David R Thompson, born 8 January 1970, of Harwich Road, Colchester CO4 3LD – kept animals in atrocious conditions at his so-called sanctuary
Dave Thompson
When an RSPCA inspector arrived at Dave Thompson’s shelter, D+K Fuzzy Ferrets + Fox Rescue in Harwich Road, Colchester, in November 2019, she could see flies around the letterbox.
Police officers and RSPCA inspectors entered the property and found horrifying conditions within, with one police constable reporting she was almost sick due to the smell.
In total, 44 ferrets and polecats, four foxes, three jackdaws, two pigeons, a dove, two crows and a hedgehog were removed from the premises.
During the raid, the conditions were described as filthy, with many of the birds covered in faeces and suffering ragged feathers as a result of their squalid habitats.
Also seized were a large number of dead ferrets, a dead barn owl and some unidentified dead animals.
All of the ferrets and polecats bar three were found to be underweight, and were suffering from a variety of conditions – some of which were felt by the vet to be the result of poor feeding.
Nine animals had swelling to the eyes and required antibiotics, a number had gingivitis, thinning fur and bald patches which resolved once in care.
One ferret had to have an eye removed, with the vet asserting the painful condition had been present for a minimum of 21 days.
Several birds had to be euthanised.
Many of the animals made a full recovery following veterinary intervention.
Thompson admitted charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and failing to take all reasonable steps to ensure the needs of an animal for which he was responsible are met.
Prosecutor Hazel Stevens told the court: “This was supposed to be a rescue organisation, holding itself out as having knowledge and experience of ferrets and foxes.
“There was prolonged neglect and ill-treatment, and animals were suffering and others were likely to suffer had they been left in that situation.
“Animals required euthanasia, some birds having been left with broken and dislocated bones.”
Banning Thompson from keeping animals for three years, chair of the bench David Murtagh said: “You’ve got no relevant previous convictions, you were unwell at the time with mental health difficulties.
“We note your lifelong commitment to the care of animals, we take all of that into account.
“Nevertheless we cannot get away from the fact that what we saw in the photographs was absolutely appalling.
“We heard the police describe it as absolutely disgusting, we’ve heard the neighbours at the time were unable to open their windows because of the smell, and several animals were found dead during the inspection – either found dead or had to be put down at some later point.”
Sentencing: 250 hours of unpaid work; £710 in costs. Banned from keeping animals for three years (expires April 2023).
CONVICTED (2020) | Natalie Kerr, born c. 1960, of Barlow Close, Bury BL9 6WF – allowed dozens of birds at her wildlife hospital to suffer
Sanctuary owner Natalie Kerr was banned from keeping birds for life
Acting on a tip-off, RSPCA officials found various neglected birds at the Greenmount Wild Bird Hospital in Garside Hey Road, Brandlesholme, Bury, including pigeons, corvids, blackbirds, an eagle owl, swans and geese in aviaries around the grounds.
In total 211 birds were found on the premises – and 145 were found to be in such as state they had to be put to sleep.
Charity bosses say many of the birds could not fly and were visibly injured or in poor condition.
Broken wings, blindness and open wounds were just some of the injuries found when RSPCA inspectors and police raided Natalie Kerr’s wildlife sanctuary in July 2019.
The court heard a wooden building – which was used as the hospital unit – also contained more birds in what a vet described as in a “very poor state”.
RSPCA inspector Emma Dingley, who led the investigation, said that due to the number of birds which needed to be assessed, a mobile unit from the Greater Manchester Animal Hospital had to be sent to the site.
In a court statement RSPCA chief inspector Ben Strangwood added: “The aviaries were all looking tired and contained a lot of bird faeces and cobwebs.
“Some of the birds appeared unable to fly and were largely ground-dwelling, resulting in their feathers being a mess.
“Some birds had food and water and some didn’t. Some cages were very dirty with faeces. There were lots of flies and the smell was unpleasant.
“There were birds in there with head tilts, bandages/tape on wings, open wounds, glassy eyes indicating blindness, drooping wings, feathers in very poor condition.
Many birds had chronic or severe injuries or disease, which could not be treated without further compromising their welfare, or were unsuitable for release into the wild, or for permanent captivity.”
Emma added: “Many birds had chronic or severe injuries or disease, which could not be treated without further compromising their welfare, or were unsuitable for release into the wild, or for permanent captivity.
“One pigeon had a deformed beak which meant it was unable to feed himself and he was emaciated – the notes indicated he had been named Beaky by the hospital.
“Another duck was found with two broken wings which the hospital had named Wingie. There was also a pigeon with an open wound you could see his heart. It was so sad and a vet decided that many had to be put to sleep to end their suffering.”
Some of the birds were saved though and one blind European Eagle has been rehomed with a specialist keeper and is said to be thriving.
In October 2020 sanctuary manager Natalie Kerr pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to two identified birds and failing to ensure others received adequate care.
Sentencing: four-month curfew; £1,000 court costs. Banned from keeping birds for life.
CONVICTED (2019) | gamekeeper Alan P Wilson, born c. 1958, of Henlaw Cottage, Longformacus, Duns TD11 3NT – killed dozens of wildlife on Longformacus Estate
Gamekeeper Alan Wilson from Duns in the Scottish Borders kept a kill list and dumped 1000 animals into a stink pit designed to attract birds of prey and other animals, which Wilson is suspected of shooting.
Wilson admitted nine charges including killing goshawks, buzzards, badgers and an otter.
The offences were committed on the Longformacus Estate in the Borders between March 2016 and June 2017.
One source said that Alan Wilson was hellbent on killing anything that moved
The court ruled Wilson was responsible for the deaths of numerous wildlife, including protected species. Investigators found animal corpses including otters, badgers, foxes, birds of prey and more when they searched Henlaw Wood in 2017.
A captive eagle owl which the Scottish SPCA suspects was being used as a live lure on birds of prey who were subsequently shot and killed was also discovered at Wilson’s residence. In 2018, Wilson was fined £400 and banned from keeping birds of prey for ten years for failing to ensure the welfare of the eagle owl.
After an investigation which involved experts from the Scottish SPCA’s special investigation unit (SIU), RSPB and Police Scotland, Wilson was found to have used techniques including illegally set snares and unlawful items such as banned pesticides and gin traps to trap and kill wildlife.
A land inspection also found ‘stink pits’, where dead animal carcasses are left to attract other wildlife. These ‘stink pits’ were surrounded by illegally set snares. Animal remains, including mammal skulls, were recovered.
investigators believe Wilson slaughtered thousands more animals.
One source claimed he was hell-bent on killing “everything that moved” except game birds on the estate that were being bred to be shot by wealthy clients.
One kill list found in Wilson’s home catalogued 1,071 dead animals – including cats, foxes, hedgehogs and stoats.
Sheriff Peter Paterson said the offences merited a jail term but he felt he was unable to impose one due to guidelines against short-term sentences.
“The sentencing options open to me at the moment do not reflect society’s views,” he added.
The court was told Wilson had pledged to no longer work as a gamekeeper and was now employed cutting trees.
Police welcomed the sentencing at Jedburgh Sheriff Court at the end of what they called a “complex inquiry” which had been a “large-scale” investigation.
“The illegal killing of birds of prey and protected species cannot, and will not, be tolerated, nor will the inhumane use of illegal traps and pesticides,” said Det Con Andy Loughlin.
An undercover Scottish SPCA investigator described it as a “despicable case of serious and systematic crimes to indiscriminately remove wildlife from an estate”.
“The sheer volume of dead wildlife discovered is truly shocking,” the investigator added.
“We will never know the total number of animals which perished due to Mr Wilson, though had it not been for the robust intervention of Police Scotland, the Scottish SPCA and our other partner agencies, many more would have suffered and perished.”
Sara Shaw, head of the Crown Office’s wildlife and environmental crime unit, said Wilson’s actions amounted to a “campaign of deliberate criminality”.
Duncan Orr-Ewing of RSPB Scotland called it an “absolutely appalling incident involving the illegal killing of a range of protected wildlife.”
Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture wildlife forensic scientist Dr Lucy Webster said the investigation had been an “excellent example” of partnership working to “bring a prolific wildlife criminal to justice”.
Robbie Marsland, director of the League Against Cruel Sports, described it as “one of the worst wildlife crime incidents in recent years”.
A spokesman for the Scottish Gamekeepers Association said Wilson’s actions were “unacceptable” and “entirely out of step” with conduct it expected from its members.
He said Wilson’s SGA membership would be terminated immediately.
Sentencing: 225 hours of unpaid work; restriction of liberty order.
