CONVICTED (2016) | Mark Reid, born 18/08/1970, of the travellers site in Tealing, Dundee DD4 0QY and his son John Stewart, born 07/02/1995, previously of Balgate Mill in Kiltarlity, near Beauly, Scottish Highlands, but more recently of Balmoral Terrace, Dundee DD4 8SJ – set lurchers on wild hares and watched as the dogs tore the animals apart

Mark Reid and his son John Stewart were found guilty of deliberately hunting brown hares with three dogs at West Cultmalundie Farm, Tibbermore, near Perth, on 2 November 2015.

This was Reid’s third conviction for wildlife crime.

Two other men – James McPhee, born c. 1967, of Bloomfield Crescent, Arbroath DD11 3LL (but more recently of Roseacres Chalets, Newport-on-Tay DD6 8SP) and James McConnachie, born c. 1968, of Forres Crescent, Dundee DD3 0EP – were cleared during the trial due to a lack of evidence linking them directly to hare coursing.

McPhee went on to be jailed in 2018 for further hare coursing offences.

The rigid carcasses of the two dead hares were shown during the trial.

One witness said he saw two lurchers “pulling a hare apart”.

Robert McElwee told the trial: “The people with them were further away. Before that we had seen them for some time with the dogs. They were lined out across the field looking for hares.

“We knew what it was – coursing hares.”

He said one of the men shouted “video that” as they took footage which was later passed to the police and shown during the trial.

Mr McElwee said: “That’s when the two dogs were pulling the hare to bits.

“I saw one lying dead at the side of the road.”

PC George Westwood said: “I saw two persons running off with dogs across the field. They were wearing Barbour-style jackets.

“We collected two hares from the stubble field near the steading. They were fresh, they were still limp.”

Solicitor Douglas Williams, defending Reid, said: “He has a previous conviction for this activity from Forfar and he comes from a background where this activity has, to an extent, been normalised.

“When he returns to his extended family in Ireland, hare coursing isn’t illegal and is ongoing.

“He goes to Ireland once a year and part of the activities he gets involved in is hare coursing.”

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: “The whole tenor of the report is indicative of someone who quite frankly doesn’t consider they have done anything wrong and has no intention of altering his ways.

“Against that background I have very considerable reservations whether any fine of a significant nature would be paid.”

Sentencing:
Mark Reid – jailed for four months*; banned for six years from keeping any dogs (expired March 2022).

John Stewart – ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work; banned from keeping dogs for just two years (expired 2018).

BBC News 19/02/2016
BBC News 23/03/2016

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*Update | October 2016

Mark Reid’s prison sentence was quashed on appeal.