CONVICTED | for hare coursing: Hampshire travellers Leonard Pinnick, born 25 December 1986, of 83 Montgomery Road, Bitterne, Southampton SO18 4RX, Shane Jefferies, born c. 1996, of 3 Hornbeam Close, Botley, Southampton SO30 2SZ, Lloyd Jefferies, born 18 March 1988, of Tanhouse Lane, Botley, Southampton SO30 2SZ, Martin Eli Buckland born c. 1983, and Martin Tony Buckland, born 13 December 2003, of Church Farm, Hound Road, Netley Abbey, Southampton SO31 5JS
The five travellers were sentenced for hare coursing offences under sections 63 and 64 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
This is the first time Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has secured charges and convictions under this particular legislation since it was introduced in April 2022.
On the evening of 18 January, 2023, police received a report that a group of people had driven onto farmland in the Itchen Abbas area of Winchester, damaging crops in the process, before they began hare coursing in a field.
Officers were deployed to the area and located the vehicles – a Mercedes and a Jeep – before the Jeep reversed and collided with a police car.
Once police detained the Jeep’s occupants, the vehicle was searched and officers located three lurcher dogs, five dead hares, bolt croppers and a lamp.
The Mercedes meanwhile left the scene and was followed by police to Southampton where the occupants were detained.
Inside the vehicle were two more lurcher dogs, two dead rabbits, a slingshot and a lamp.
Following enquiries, five people were charged with offences and pleaded guilty in Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 3 August:
- Leonard Pinnick pleaded guilty to trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs, and being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs.
- Shane Jefferies pleaded guilty to trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs, and being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs.
- Lloyd Jefferies pleaded guilty to trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs, being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs, criminal damage, and dangerous driving.
- Martin Tony Buckland pleaded guilty to trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs, and being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs.
- Martin Eli Buckland pleaded guilty to trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs, being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs, criminal damage, and dangerous driving.
Appearing at the same court on Monday 25 September, 2023, Lloyd Jefferies and Martin Eli Buckland were ordered to pay £550 compensation each to the landowner, covering the full £1,100 worth of damage caused to the crops.
Jefferies was also handed a 12 month driving ban with a requirement to complete an extended retest, a two year ban on owning dogs, a 12 month community order with a requirement to complete 200 hours unpaid work, and was ordered to pay £100 kennelling costs for the seized dogs, £85 court costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
Buckland was subject to the same costs and surcharge, as well as the same driving disqualification and dog ban. He was also handed a 12 month community order with a requirement to complete 50 hours unpaid work.
The vehicles’ passengers were sentenced as follows:
Martin Tony Buckland was handed a 12 month community order with a requirement to complete 40 hours unpaid work, a £40 fine, £100 kennelling costs, £85 court costs, £114 victim surcharge, and banned from owning dogs for two years.
Shane Jefferies was handed a 12 week curfew, a 12 month community order with a requirement to complete 40 hours unpaid work, a £40 fine, £100 kennelling costs, £85 court costs, £114 victim surcharge, and banned from owning dogs for two years.
Leonard Pinnick was handed an 18 month community order with a requirement to complete 60 hours unpaid work and attend a ‘Thinking & Skills Programme’. He was also ordered to pay a £40 fine, £100 kennelling costs, £85 court costs, £114 victim surcharge, and banned from owning dogs for two years.
The kennelling costs were recovered from all the defendants under Section 65 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act which was introduced last year.
Another passenger, a 17-year-old boy, was also arrested by police, and officers continue to work with the Youth Offending Team to reach a suitable outcome for him.
Police Staff Investigator Andrew Williams, from the Country Watch team, said: “Hare coursing is a scourge on our rural communities. It involves the senseless persecution of wildlife, whilst also making life miserable for innocent farmers and landowners, who suffer trespass and damage to their property which accompanies this type of offending.
“The Country Watch team take a very robust stance against hare coursing, and will do everything in our power to respond to reports, assist landowners and target the criminals responsible.
“Last year new legislation was introduced which is bolstering the police’s efforts to target hare coursers, bring them to justice and recover costs from them. I hope rural communities can be reassured that we are making the most of this legislation.
“We are coming into autumn now where we see the bulk of annual hare coursing reports. Please remain vigilant, and report any suspicious people or vehicles on private land to police. If a crime is in progress, dial 999.”
A life ban on owning dogs, two years is nothing. Their families will rally around keeping their poor dogs for them,no doubt. I can’t imagine any of them will stop at this serious crime,ruining people’s crops,killing and maining wildlife and exploiting their own dogs.