CONVICTED (2024) | Thomas Ledbury, born c. 1985, of Pine Close, Corsham SN13 0LB – part of a group of huntsmen that threw a live fox to a pack of hounds.
Ledbury, who was employed by the now defunct Avon Vale Hunt as a terrierman, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting another to commit an offence, namely unnecessary suffering to a fox.
Video footage obtained by hunt saboteurs showed Ledbury supervising hunt members as they throw a live fox to a pack of baying hounds in an incident near Melksham on December 24, 2020.
The video shows the fox being bitten on its right hind upper leg and upper neck as it is launched into the pack.
Ledbury is shown looking on as the horrifically cruel incident takes place.
An expert witness told the court there was no doubt that the fox was alive when he was pulled from the hole. He added that the poor creature would have experienced severe fear and extreme pain whilst being torn apart by the hounds. It would have eventually lost consciousness and died.
Two other men – namely Oliver Thompson of Faringdon, Oxfordshire and then Avon Vale Hunt Master Stuart Radbourne, a serial wildlife persecutor from Chippenham, Wiltshire, were convicted in relation to the same incident.
Thompson was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a fox following trial and sentenced to a 20-week suspended prison sentence. Radbourne received a suspended 18-week custodial sentence.
A fourth man named Charlie Ball was also present and initially prosecuted. Unfortunately, the status of the prosecution against him isn’t currently known.
A fifth hunt member identified by Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs as Rob Shearring was shown in the video with a spade and “assisting with the illegal kill”. It is unclear why charges have not been brought against Shearring given his clear involvement.
The Avon Vale Hunt was disbanded in February 2023 after it was removed from the sport’s governing body following the leaking of a video showing two foxes being dug out of the earth and thrown to waiting hounds on December 20, 2022.
Chief Inspector Will Mitchell, from the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit which led the investigation, named Operation Aurora, said: “As part of a larger investigation the video footage was identified from a seized mobile phone.
“This shocking hunt video shows the lack of compassion and empathy for this fox who is thrown to a pack of baying hounds to be ripped apart. It’s really worrying to think anyone may find treating an animal this way fun.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with a requirement to undertake 240 hours of unpaid work.
Additional Information
Ledbury runs a business called Tom Ledbury Maintenance and Installations. He currently holds a contract with Bath and North East Somerset Council to repair and maintain street furniture and park infrastructure.
This type seem addicted to animal cruelty.Nothing stops them. Frenzied madness. It should be illegal to use the scent of foxes to train hounds or dogs. Getting hounds or most normal dogs to rip a fox to pieces takes work and deliberate work.