Tag Archives: League Against Cruel Sports

Dogs, foxes, hunting with dogs, hunts, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire: Ollie Finnegan

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CONVICTED (2022) | former Quorn huntsman John Oliver Finnegan known as Ollie Finnegan, born 13 August 1985, previously of the Quorn Hunt Kennels, Gaddesby Lane, Melton Mowbray LE14 2TQ but more recently of Kennel Lane, Northwich – for illegal hunting with dogs.

Bloodthirsty Ollie Finnegan was convicted of illegally hunting with dogs
Ollie Finnegan was convicted of breaching the Hunting Act after dozens of incriminatory WhatsApp messages were found on his phone

Finnegan, who is now huntsman of the Cheshire Hunt based in Sandiway, Northwich, was seen fox hunting on 7 January 2022. He was caught during a joint meet near Hartpury between Leicestershire’s Quorn Hunt and the Ledbury Hunt, which is based in Gloucestershire.

The meet came less than a fortnight after Ledbury joint hunt master David Redvers said his hunt was committed to trail hunting, which is legal.

Bloodthirsty Ollie Finnegan was convicted of illegally hunting with dogs
Finnegan is now a huntsman with the Cheshire Hunt.

Key evidence was found on Finnegan’s phone after it was seized by officers from Leicestershire Police.

WhatsApp messages on the day show communication about illegal fox-hunting with an unnamed huntsman.

He asked Finnegan: “How’d you get on at Ledbury today?”

Finnegan replies “Only found a brace [of foxes]. First one went to ground, The second went 5 fields to a real thick cover which we weren’t aloud in and had to stop [the hounds].”

The huntsman replies: “used to be full of them round there! Had my best days around there.”

Bloodthirsty Ollie Finnegan was convicted of illegally hunting with dogs

On another occasion the Master says “How did this evening go?” to which Finnegan replied “Found 2 brace [foxes] seen another 2 brace, very busy all night. Hounds hunted well considering the heat.”

Dozens of messages and videos were found on Finnegan’s phone, but only a tiny minority were shared with the court.

Following the conviction, a spokesperson for the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) said: “We can confirm that a current member of the BHSA has today pleaded guilty to illegal hunting on 7th January 2022, near Hartbury, Glos.

“This organisation does not condone illegal activity and the matter has been referred to the Hound Sports Regulatory Authority (HSRA) which is the regulatory body responsible for disciplinary matters.”

Finnegan with wife Rachel Finnegan and their two boys
Finnegan with wife Rachel Finnegan, who hunts in her own right, and their two boys

Speaking about the case, Lynn Sawyer of Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs, said : “Three counties sabs are pleased that the Hunting Act has been enforced in this case.

“Along with Herefordshire hunt sabs we attended the joint Quorn/Ledbury meet to protect foxes and we will continue to sab fox hunts until they stop harming wildlife.”

Sentencing | fined £656.

ITV News
Hunt Saboteurs Association
Mirror

Additional Information

In March 2021 Ollie Finnegan was accused of illegally hunting a wild mammal with dogs alongside whipper-in Rhys Matcham, born August 1991, of Kennel Drive, Badminton, South Gloucestershire GL9 1DJ.

The allegations related to an incident in Breedon on the Hill, North West Leicestershire, on February 4, 2020.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty and faced trial in August 2021.

Matcham and Finnegan pictured during their court appearance in August 2021
Matcham and Finnegan pictured during their court appearance in August 2021

Shockingly they were found not guilty after the Crown Prosecution Service accepted the case had no reasonable prospect of conviction.

The Crown had claimed footage filmed by the League Against Cruel Sports showed ‘a proper fox hunt going back to the olden days’.

But the first witness in the case, the League’s staff member Roger Swaine, told the court on Tuesday that he could not see where Matcham was looking when a fox was seen to emerge from a covert.

Defence lawyer Stephen Welford then asked Mr Swaine: “It’s perfectly reasonable to suggest that hounds were in that bit of covert, they had found an artificial trail…and a fox popped out. That is one possibility, is it not?”

Mr Swaine answered: “Yes.”

Explaining the Crown’s decision to drop the case, before Finnegan and Matcham had given evidence, prosecutor Mark Fielding said: “The Crown Prosecution Service have a duty to review the prospects of success of a matter at all times, up to and including the end of the case.

“Suffice to say, having listened to Mr Swaine giving clearly honest and truthful evidence in cross-examination, for which he is to be commended, my impression, which I communicated to the reviewing lawyer, was that this case no longer had a reasonable prospect of success.”

Immediately after Mr Fielding’s comments, the chair of the three-strong magistrates’ bench entered not guilty verdicts on both defendants.

Martin Sims, director of investigations at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “We’re understandably disappointed with this result but we stand by the evidence we presented, which clearly shows hounds hunting a fox.

“While there are questions that need to be answered about the prosecution’s approach, it’s yet further confirmation that the Hunting Act needs to be strengthened so that it does what it’s supposed to – preventing foxes being chased by hounds.”

In August 2022 Rhys Matcham now of the Beaufort Hunt was back in court to face new charges of hunting a wild animal with a dog.

He and co-accused Matthew Ramsden, 35, pleaded not guilty.

Matcham and Finnegan pictured during their court appearance in August 2021

Prosecutor Natalie Cheeseman alleged the defendants allowed a pack of hounds to chase a fox in Brokenborough, Malmesbury, at about 8.30am on 13 September 2021.

She said the prime evidence, in the form of video footage, was provided by a member of Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch.

Ms Cheeseman alleged that Matcham and Ramsden were “knowingly engaged in hunting a fox” and did nothing to stop the hounds from pursuing the fox.

She added: “No one appears to do anything to stop the hounds chasing fox”.

Daniel Gill, defending, said his clients both deny hunting whilst legally following a trail and that they “did everything they could” to stop the hounds from pursuing the fox.

The trial will be heard at Swindon Magistrates’ Court later in 2022, but legal advisor Juen Batchelor said a date cannot be fixed until expert witnesses have confirmed their availability.

Matcham, of Kennel Drive, Badminton, and Ramsden, of High Street, Badminton, were remanded on unconditional bail.

Update | August 2023

Finnegan, most recently employed by the Cheshire Hunt, was found guilty of two counts of illegal hunting. He was convicted in his absence after he failed to attend court for a third time.

Finnegan was fined the maximum amount – £1000 – for each of the two offenses and must pay court costs. He was also given a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order including one sanction stating that he cannot hunt with more than 10 hounds.

The Hunt Saboteurs report that Finnegan has now moved to Ireland where foxhunting is legal.

Cats, hunts

Penzance, West Cornwall: John Sampson

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CONVICTED (2021) | master of the Western Hunt John Lanyan Sampson, of Trelew Farm, St Buryan, Penzance TR19 6ED – allowed a pack of hounds to kill an elderly cat while she rested outside her house.

Huntsmen John Sampson (left) and son Edward Sampson. Although the latter wasn’t prosecuted, it was he who callously threw Mini’s body into a neighbour’s garden.

Hunt master John Sampson was found guilty of allowing the fox-hounds to maul 14-year-old Mini to death.

He was ordered to pay £1600 for being in charge of dogs that were dangerously out of control.

Elderly Mini was mauled to death by a pack of out-of-control fox hounds.

Mini the cat was killed outside her home in Madron, Cornwall in March 2021.

The incident was filmed on a mobile phone by a neighbour of the cat’s owner, Carly Jose.

The video footage shows that after a dog dropped the cat, Sampson’s son Edward threw her lifeless body over a fence into a back garden of a neighbour in Trafalgar Fields, Madron, Penzance.

Chris Rendell, prosecuting, told the court Sampson, his son and his son’s girlfriend were on horseback exercising a pack of around 21 dogs in fields close to the estate on the morning of March 6, 2021.

The hounds from the Western Hunt following a scent through gorse and bracken.

Around six dogs broke away from the main pack and entered the cul-de-sac where they chased, caught and killed the cat.

Neighbour Charlie Knight filmed the incident on his mobile phone, while another neighbour, Peter Nicholls, spoke to Edward Sampson, a whipper-in.

Mr Nicholls told the court he heard barking and a meow and went outside to see if it was one of his cats.

Mr Nicholls said he grabbed his walking stick and went outside and saw Edward Sampson.

“He had a whip in his hand, and I saw the cat fall from the nose of the dog, and he was running and he scooped the body of the cat up off the road and flicked it straight over the hedge into my garden,” he said.

“I grabbed the stick just in case I had to beat the hounds off the cat, or they came at me.”

Asked what happened next, Mr Nicholls said: “He whipped the two hounds away and coming past me I said I’d seen what he had done, and he said, ‘I’m sorry, I’ll be back in a minute’.

“He then ran off and spoke to Carly next door, apologised to her and said he was sorry and then ran off towards the kennels being pursued by the bloke filming him.”

Mr Knight said he saw a group of hounds chasing the cat, which tried to jump over a fence to get away, before it was mauled by the pack.

“A man appeared who picked up the cat, looked around, which I perceived to be him looking for witnesses, then threw the black cat over the wooden fence into the back garden,” he said.

“I saw the man fleeing, so decided to follow him to get a clear shot of his face for the video. He said to me he was coming back once he had sorted out the hounds.”

John Sampson was met outside court by a group of animal welfare protestors.
John Sampson was met outside court by a group of animal welfare protestors.

A post-mortem examination confirmed Mini died as a result of being “grabbed and shaken” by at least one dog”. Her injuries included a broken back and broken ribs, but the vet said in a statement that it was likely Mini’s suffering would have been “relatively short”.

Sampson had denied charges of criminal damage and being the owner or person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a private or public place.

Sampson was acquitted of criminal damage but found guilty of the second charge.

Outside court, Ms Jose said: “The complete disregard for people’s animals, any animals, is just vile, utterly disturbing”.

She added: “You want an animal to die with dignity, like a person will want to die with dignity. Mini didn’t die with dignity.

“She was scared and thrown after she was killed.”

Following the incident, Ms Jose set up a petition for “Mini’s law”, to make it illegal for hunts to go near residential or public areas.

More than 100,000 signed it meaning the matter will be debated in Parliament.

Martin Sims, director of investigations at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “This sickening incident illustrates the havoc fox hunts are having on local communities and domestic animals and wildlife across the UK.”

Sentencing: fined £480 and ordered to pay £350 compensation to Ms Jose, £775 court costs and a £48 victim surcharge.

BBC News
Cornwall Live
Mirror

Update April 2022

The BBC reported that John Sampson has had his appeal against conviction refused.

At the appeal hearing, Judge Simon Carr rejected Sampson’s application, saying it was a “violent death of a much-loved cat”.

Dogs, foxes, hunting with dogs, hunts, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Sherborne, Dorset: Mark Hankinson

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CONVICTED (2021) | senior huntsman Mark Hankinson, born 14 November 1960, of Frampton Farm, Chetnole Road, Leigh. Sherborne DT9 6HJ – encouraged illegal fox hunting in online talk.

Mark Hankinson pictured outside court.

Mark Hankinson, a director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association was found guilty of encouraging or assisting others to commit an offence under the Hunting Act.

Hankinson was caught in a leaked online training webinar telling hunts how to hunt illegally.

Recordings of Hankinson speaking to around 100 senior hunters in two private webinars in August 2020 were leaked online.

The prosecution argued he was giving advice on how to avoid the law.

The defence said he was advising what to do if saboteurs disrupt legal hunts.

At Westminster court Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram said “I am sure that the defendant through his words was giving advice on how to illegally hunt with dogs.”

“In my judgement he was clearly encouraging the mirage of trail laying to act as cover for illegal hunting,” he added.

Mr Hankinson was fined £1,000 along with a contribution of £2,500 towards legal costs.

The Masters of Foxhounds Association said it was considering an appeal of the verdict.

“We will be setting up a review which will be conducted to ensure that hunts are in a position to offer reassurances to all landowners and other stakeholders that hunts are operating within the law,” said Chairman of the Masters of Foxhounds Association Andrew Osborne.

The videos of Hankinson came to light when they were leaked to anti-hunting groups and then posted online.

The trial at Westminster Magistrates Court took place over three days in September 2021. Clips of the video recordings were played in court.

The case rested on the context of the advice Hankinson gave in the webinars.

In the recordings he told participants “if you’ve got saboteurs out with you in any shape or form we need to have clear, visible, plausible trail laying being done throughout the day.”

“It’s a lot easier to create a smokescreen if you’ve got more than one trail layer operating.”

Hankinson told the court that when he said “smokescreen” he was giving advice on laying dummy trails to confuse potential saboteurs and allow legitimate hunting to continue.

Prosecuting barrister Gregory Gordon said in his closing submission that Hankinson was offering advice on how to hunt illegally “behind a smoke screen of trail hunting”.

“His words were clear, his advice was capable of encouraging hunts to commit illegal hunting, and his intention was to encourage illegal hunting,” Mr Gordon said.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram concluded: “Mr Hankinson’s advice that trail laying needed to be “plausible” was only necessary if it was a “sham and a fiction””

“It wasn’t just bad language as he suggested, there was a clear and common thread throughout the two separate webinars.”

“A specific aggravating factor was that you were speaking to large number of people. Your words potentially had an impact throughout the whole country.”

The League Against Cruel Sports said the case “has proven beyond doubt that trail hunting is nothing but a sham”.

It continued: “It’s hunting dressed up as something illegal, it uses this “smokescreen” [which] is nothing but an attempt to deceive somebody, an attempt to disguise illegal or nefarious activities. And this court case has proved that.”

Following the police investigation into Hankinson, a number of organisations withdrew their permission to allow hunts to cross their land. That included the National Trust, Forestry England, the Lake District National Park and Natural Resources Wales.

The court verdict is likely to lead to a review of this position. A motion to permanently ban trail hunting on National Trust land will be debated this month.

BBC News
ITV News

Update July 2022

It was reported that Hankinson’s appeal against conviction was successful.

The court considered whether Hankinson’s words were intentionally encouraging an offence.

Appeal Judge Gregory Perrins said “someone listening to his words might well have taken the view that he was encouraging illegal hunting”.

But Hankinson said he was referring to the practice of laying dummy trails to fool saboteurs.

Judge Perrins said: “We accept his role within the Hunting Office was to ensure compliance with the law and the Hunting Office itself is committed to lawful hunting.”

He added: “In those circumstances it would be unusual if they now took the decision to host a series of webinars which included advice on how to work around the ban.”

After the decision, the League Against Cruel Sports urged the government to strengthen the Hunting Act.

“The appeal result changes nothing in terms of our position, because only by strengthening the Hunting Act, by closing its many loopholes and outlawing so-called trail hunting, can illegal hunting be properly stopped and those determined to carry on persecuting wildlife brought to justice,” said Andy Knott, the league’s chief executive.

BBC News

Additional information:

Mark Hankinson brought about his own downfall after speaking at a webinar attended by the morally bankrupt Hunting Office and over 100 from the wider fox hunting community but he was not alone.

Speakers at the notorious

Other speakers included:

  • Benjamin Mancroft, Chairman of the Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) – a Tory peer
  • Richard Tyacke – Director, Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles (AMHB)
  • Richard Gurney – senior master of the Old Surrey Burstow and West Kent Hunt
  • Paul Jelley – a retired Avon & Somerset Police officer
  • Phil Davies – Countryside Alliance, retired Chief Inspector with Dyfed-Powys Police
  • Will Day – Vice Chairman of the New Forest Hounds
  • Alice Bowden – Director, the Hunting Office.

More than 100 hunt staff and masters of hunts attended the online webinars in August 2020. YouTube have removed the footage following a “copyright claim” by the Hunting Office but you can still view it here.

Dogs, foxes, hunting with dogs, hunts, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Kimblewick Hunt Associates Ian Parkinson and Mark Vincent

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CONVICTED (2019) | Kimblewick Hunt terrier-men Ian James Kirby Parkinson, born c. 1955, of Folly Farm, Lower Road, Haddenham, Aylesbury HP17 8TP, and Mark Anthony Vincent, born c. 1966, of Kennel Cottages, Kimblewick, Aylesbury HP17 9TA – pulled out a captive fox by his tail from an underground artificial sett and released him into the path of hounds.

Ian Parkinson (left) and Mark Vincent of the Kimblewick Hunt dragged a captive fox from an artificial sett and threw her into the path of foxhounds
Ian Parkinson (left) and Mark Vincent of the Kimblewick Hunt dragged a captive fox from an artificial sett and threw her into the path of foxhounds

Ian Parkinson and Mark Vincent were found guilty of one count of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

Covert footage obtained by the Hunt Saboteurs’ Association in January 2019 appeared to show a fox being held captive, trapped in pipes underground.

The court heard that one man could be seen assembling a rod from pipes, which the association said was used to push the fox into position.

Mark Vincent is employed by the Kimblewick Hunt
Mark Vincent is employed by the Kimblewick Hunt

Another man then appeared to forcibly drag the fox out of the hole by his hind legs as the animal tried to squirm away, before letting him run loose.

Minutes later a pack of hounds were seen to run past, sniffing at the ground.

District Judge Kamlesh Rana said the men had “put this fox at substantial risk of further suffering”.

During their trial, prosecutor Peter Rymon said the men had “clearly placed” the fox “in the path of a hunt at the time the hunt was arriving” in the woodland in Moreton near Thame.

“The rodding caused it unnecessary suffering and pulling it out by the tail enhanced that,” he added.

Mr Rymon said animals rendered “under the control of man” had “enhanced rights and those rights are the person in control of it should not cause unnecessary suffering”.

It emerged that Vincent was the President of the Kimblewick Hunt, which operates in Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire. He is also named as a local event coordinator in a hunt newsletter.

Martin Sims, director of investigations at the League Against Cruel Sports and former head of the police’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, said the case “provided clear evidence that the Kimblewick Hunt is flouting the hunting ban”.

District Judge Rana previously said the defendants’ actions were “deliberate and pre-mediated” but said during their sentencing that they “weren’t the brains of the operation”.

Sentencing: 12 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for a period of 12 months. 120 hours of unpaid work; 15 rehabilitation days. £113 victim surcharge each plus £960 in costs.

Daily Mail
BBC News

Dogs, foxes, hunting with dogs, hunts, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt Associates William Tatler and Sam Staniland

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CONVICTED (2019) | William Tatler, born c. 1973, of The Green, Idridgehay, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 2SJ, and Samuel Staniland, born c. 1987, of Hadleigh, Ipswich IP7 – for illegal fox hunting, with cubs being targeted.

Will Tatler (left) and Sam Staniland received pitiful fines after being filmed illegally hunting a fox
Will Tatler (left) and Sam Staniland received pitiful fines after being filmed illegally hunting a fox

Joint master Will Tatler and huntsman Sam Staniland admitted hunting a wild mammal with dogs at Spath Covert, in Sutton-on-the-Hill, Derbyshire, on October 2, 2018.

The men were charged under the Hunting Act 2004, which says people who illegally hunt foxes can be fined but not sent to prison.

Fox hunter Sam Staniland now of Hadleigh, Ipswich
Sam Staniland has since left the hunt and moved from Sudbury to Hadleigh near Ipswich

Both men are members of the Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt (MSSH), which operates in East Staffordshire.

It was the second time people from MSSH have been prosecuted for fox hunting. Two other men from the hunt – Johnny Greenall and Glen Morris – were caught illegally hunting fox cubs in 2011.

The case against four other associates of the hunt was dismissed.

Charges against assistant terrierman Sam Stanley were dropped
Charges against assistant terrierman Sam Stanley were dropped

They were assistant terrier man Samuel Stanley, 25, of Burton Road, Needwood; terrier man Andrew Bull, 51, of Meynell Hunt Kennels, Ashbourne Road, Sudbury; whipper-in John ‘Ollie’ Finnegan, 33, of Gaddesby Lane, Kirby Bellars; and joint master Peter Southwell, 61, of Tolldish Lane, Great Haywood.

Terrierman Andy Bull also had the charges against him dropped
Terrierman Andy Bull also had the charges against him dropped

All six men had previously pleaded not guilty and were set to face trial, but Staniland and Tatler changed their plea to guilty before the trial.

The prosecution came after the League Against Cruel Sports filmed a fox being hunted and gave the footage to police.

League Against Cruel Sports investigator Roger Swaine captured the footage on 2 October 2018 at Spath Covert in Sutton-on-the-Hill, Derbyshire – the same area where two other men from the hunt were caught illegally hunting fox cubs in 2011.

Mr Swaine said they were “cub hunting”, which is when hounds are trained to hunt fox cubs.

“They were in the same place, it was the same hunt, doing exactly the same thing,” said Mr Swaine, who also filmed the previous footage.

He said he was “disappointed” by the fine.

“The problem is they are very well financed and they have a very good legal defence team,” he said.

“To receive just a fine for this barbaric activity shows the need to strengthen the Hunting Act, including the introduction of prison sentences,” he said.

Still from footage filmed by the League Against Cruel Sports showing a fox being illegally targeted by Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt associates
Still from footage filmed by the League Against Cruel Sports showing a fox being illegally targeted by Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt associates

In a statement issued through the Countryside Alliance, the Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt said the Hunting Act was “a difficult and troublesome piece of legislation”.

“It is complex and open to misinterpretation,” the statement said.

“The Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt regrets that in this case some individuals were unable to show that they had fulfilled all the conditions of the relevant exemption, as set out in Schedule 1 of the Act.

“The Hunt confirms that moving forward it will continue to operate within the law, utilising both artificial trails and the exemptions provided in the Act.”

Sentencing: fined £535 and ordered to pay £150 towards legal costs.

Derbyshire Live
BBC News

animal fighting / baiting, dog fighting, Dogs, hunting with dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Serial Animal Abusers, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway: Liam Patterson

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CONVICTED (2019) | Liam Patterson, born 16 July 1993, previously of Eastfield Road, Dumfries DG1 2EJ* – trained three dogs for dog fighting.

Liam Patterson from Dumfries, Scotland, trained his dogs for fighting and kept a banned breed dog

Liam Patterson was found in possession of videos on his personal devices showing his dogs fighting and being trained to fight. Dog fighting paraphernalia and photos were also found at his home.

Patterson pleaded guilty to training dogs for, causing and taking part in animal fighting. This is contrary to the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 under Section 23 (1) (a) (2) (e).

He also admitted to being in possession of an American pit bull terrier which is a banned breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Two of the dogs involved in the case were two Staffordshire bull terriers named Zeus and Gucci and an American pit bull was called Bubba. All three were signed in to the care of the Scottish SPCA. Sadly Bubba had to be put to sleep because he was a banned breed.

An undercover Scottish SPCA special investigations unit inspector said, “We received information from the League Against Cruel Sports that Patterson was keeping and training dogs for the purposes of dog fighting and currently had fighting dogs at his home address.

“The intelligence we received also stated there was dog fighting equipment, books and gear at his home address.

“Due to immediate concerns for the welfare of the dogs, we obtained a search warrant and gained entry to the property where we found the three dogs. All appeared to be in good body condition.

“At the location, we found numerous items relating to dog fighting including weighted collars which are used as a training aid to strengthen and build endurance.

“Multiple videos of his own dogs fighting were found on Patterson’s personal devices. In many, he can be heard shouting encouragement in the background. Other footage discovered included other, unknown, dogs fighting and dogs with injuries consistent with fighting.

“Other videos showed Gucci, Zeus and Bubba being put through a vigorous training regime in line with dog fighting practice.

“Messages were found between Patterson and an unknown individual discussing plans to attend and enter in dog fights and their dogs’ ability to fight to the death. Communication was also discovered outlining Patterson’s desire to buy and sell American pit bulls.

“Over the course of this investigation, it became clear that Patterson had a fascination, verging on obsession, with dog fighting and breeds relating to the American pit bull. How he could hold these dogs in such high regard and let them fight each other with little regard for their welfare is very difficult to comprehend.

“We are very pleased with the sentence that has been handed to Patterson and we hope this is seen as a deterrent to other, active dog fighters.

“Dog fighting is such a well-guarded and underground crime, it’s extremely difficult to detect and investigate. We are proud to be leading the way using intelligence and expertise to bring these people to justice.

“The Scottish SPCA Special Investigation Unit is dedicated to combatting animal fighting. If anyone has any information pertaining to individuals who are involved in this activity, we would urge them to contact our confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”

Martin Sims, director of investigations for the League Against Cruel Sports said: “We’re very proud that it was our intelligence work that has been the basis for this conviction, but what this case serves to show to the public is how abhorrent the world of dog fighting is and why the courts need to have more sentencing powers to properly punish those involved.

“In England and Wales legislation is moving through parliament to see maximum custodial sentences for animal cruelty increased from six months to five years, but we are today calling on the Scottish Parliament to stop consulting on increasing sentences for animal cruelty and get on with passing the legislation that will be a proper deterrent to people like Liam Patterson who inflict pain on animals just to make money.”

Sentencing | 300-hour community payback order; 162-day restriction of liberty order. Banned from owning a dog for 15 years (expires 2034).

BBC News

Update | March 2023

We are advised that Liam Patterson lives in Marle Street, Castle Douglas DG7 1DN.

animal fighting / baiting, badger baiting, bird trapping, Birds, birds of prey / raptor persecution, foxes, hedgehogs, Multiple Species, Organised Animal Crime, Other Mammals, Serial Animal Abusers, shooting estates, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports, Worst of the Worst

Duns, Scottish Borders: Alan Wilson

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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 killed dozens of wildlife including protected species
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.

Gamekeeper Alan Wilson from Duns in the Scottish Borders killed dozens of wildlife including protected species
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.

Gamekeeper Alan Wilson from Duns in the Scottish Borders killed dozens of wildlife including protected species

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.

BBC News
Daily Record

Dogs, foxes, hunting with dogs, hunts, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports, Worst of the Worst

South Herefordshire Hunt: Paul Oliver, Hannah Rose, Paul Reece and Julie Elmore

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CONVICTED (2019) | Paul Oliver, born c. 1978, and Hannah Rose, born c. 1988, both of Sutton Crosses, Long Sutton, Spalding PE12, Paul Reece, born c. 1970, of Grove View, Usk Road, Chepstow NP16 6SA and Julie Elmore, born c. 1963, of Brynarw Estate, Cwmyoy, Abergavenny NP7 7ND – convicted of cruelty to foxes after cubs were fed to hounds.

Fox cub killers Paul Oliver, Hannah Rose, Paul Reece and Julie Elmore - all involved with now defunct South Herefordshire Hunt
Fox cub killers Paul Oliver, Paul Reece, Hannah Rose and Julie Elmore

Footage obtained by a group called the Hunt Investigation Team (HIT) was instrumental in the successful prosecution of Paul Oliver, master of hounds with the now disbanded South Herefordshire Hunt.

South Herefordshire Hunt cruelty case. Fox cub killer Paul Oliver, former huntsman with the now defunct hunt.
Disgraced Master and Huntsman of the now defunct South Herefordshire Hunt, Paul Oliver

Oliver was convicted of four counts of animal cruelty for allowing his hounds to kill four fox cubs and was handed a 16-week suspended jail sentence for causing their “painful, terrifying” deaths.

District Judge Joanna Dickens, sitting at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, also imposed a 12-week suspended sentence on Oliver’s partner, Hannah Rose, the hunt’s kennel maid.

South Herefordshire Hunt kennel maid Hannah Rose pictured outside court
South Herefordshire Hunt kennel maid Hannah Rose pictured outside court

The pair were ordered to pay £300 in costs and a £115 victim surcharge after being convicted of causing unnecessary suffering.

South Herefordshire Hunt cruelty case. Hannah Rose and Paul Oliver pictured outside court.
Hannah Rose and Paul Oliver pictured outside court.

HIT, a relatively new group whose members include ex-services personnel, received training in covert investigative methods.

They fixed a device to Oliver’s Land Rover following a tip-off and tracked him to a site where they suspected he was catching fox cubs in May 2016.

They also set up cameras at the hunt’s kennels and obtained footage they said proved Oliver was catching cubs and taking them back to his hounds to “blood” them.

South Herefordshire Hunt cruelty case. Paul Oliver was filmed taking live fox cubs from a crate into a kennel block. A short time later he was captured disposing of the cubs' mutilated bodies.
Paul Oliver was filmed taking live fox cubs from a crate into a kennel block at the South Herefordshire Hunt. A short time later he was captured disposing of the cubs’ mutilated bodies.
South Herefordshire Hunt cruelty case. Paul Oliver's girlfriend Hannah Rose looks on as he handles the fox cubs. Photo credit: Hunt Investigation Team.
Paul Oliver’s girlfriend Hannah Rose looks on as he handles the fox cubs. Photo credit: Hunt Investigation Team.

The court heard that one camera recorded Oliver dumping the bodies of two cubs in a wheelie bin.

The activists are said to have taken legal advice from lawyers and animal welfare organisations who told them they could not recover the cubs as this would amount to theft.

They said they did not pass the case to the police because they did not believe officers would have the resources to follow it up.

HIT members, who are involved in several ongoing investigations, are so worried about reprisals that one was allowed to give evidence during the seven-day trial from behind a screen.

Fox cub killers Julie Elmore and Paul Reece
Terrierman Paul Reece was filmed delivering a fox cub to the crate. Nathan Parry, who unbelievably was acquitted, was also present along with his girlfriend Julie Elmore (pictured)

Julie Elmore and Paul Reece admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to cubs which were distressed by being transported to the kennels.

Elmore and Reece were given conditional discharges and ordered to pay costs of £50 after the judge said both had been “motivated by consideration” for two fox cubs.

A fifth defendant, Nathan Parry, born c. 1978, also of Brynarw estate, Abergavenny,was cleared of all charges.

Acquitted of any involvement in live fox cubs being fed to hounds: Nathan Parry
Unbelievably Nathan Parry was acquitted with judges believing his implausible account

Parry took foxes to kennels but was found not guilty after the judge accepted he believed they would be relocated in the wild.

Martin Sims, director of investigations at the League Against Cruel Sports and former head of the police’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, said: “We believe the incidents show that hunts are clearly still hunting as the poor fox cubs were thrown into the kennels to give the hounds a taste for blood.

“The barbarity of these incidents is sickening and will horrify the vast majority of the British public who are overwhelmingly opposed to fox hunting.”

Deborah Marshall, HIT spokeswoman, said: “This case has taken far too long to come to court and we have faced false allegations against investigators and obstruction throughout. We are glad that justice has finally taken its course.

“The capture of fox cubs to be used to train hounds is nothing new and is widespread across Britain, as is the mass destruction of healthy hounds to make way for younger ones. We will continue to expose cruelty and wildlife crime.”

The Masters of Foxhounds Association suspended the South Herefordshire Hunt after the footage emerged and it has since disbanded.

A spokesperson for the association said Oliver’s actions were “completely disgraceful” and had no place in hunting.

Telegraph

animal fighting / baiting, dog attack, Dogs, foxes, hunting with dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports, Worst of the Worst

East Belfast: Neil Pinkerton

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ACQUITTED (2018) | notorious fox hunter and likely badger baiter Neil Frederick Pinkerton, born 19 March 1988, of 26 Clandeboye Street, Belfast BT5 4QT – cleared of cruelty offences related to animal fighting

Pictured is fox hunter Neil Pinkerton from Belfast outside court

Sadistic Neil Pinkerton posted graphic images and video of his terrier dog, known as Judy, engaged in a savage fight with a fox, to the private Facebook group North Coast Lurchers on the Beam.

Stills from video footage showing Neil Pinkerton's dog in a savage fight with a fox

In the clip, the fox can be seen locked muzzle to muzzle with Judy after the pair were dug out from the wild animal’s underground den.

Neil PInkerton is pictured holding up a dead fox alongside his severely injured dog

Pinkerton was charged after a member of the public contacted an anti-hunting group, which then passed on the information to police.

The father-of-two was accused of two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog and fox both on December 28, 2016.

He faced a third charge of causing the terrier unnecessary suffering by failing to treat or get her “adequate’’ veterinary treatment on January 25, 2017, the date she was seized by police at his home.

But he walked out of Belfast Crown Court after his one-day trial was brought to an end when Belfast Recorder Judge David McFarland directed the jury to acquit him.

Stupid or corrupt? Judge David McFarland acquitted Pinkerton on all charges despite being presented with video evidence of horrific animal cruelty. McFarland is now a High Court judge.

Judge McFarland told the jury the fox clearly had the dog by the muzzle and “no suffering was caused to the fox’’.

He also said evidence from a vet who examined Judy after she was seized stated she would have been “in discomfort”, but added the pair were only attached for a short period of time.

The decision sparked outrage from anti-hunting groups, including the League Against Cruel Sports NI. Further shock was caused in April 2018 when it was announced that Judy was to be returned to Pinkerton.

Neil Pinkerton's dog, Judy, suffered horrific facial injuries. It was alleged that these went untreated

Janice Watts, senior public affairs officer for the League Against Cruel Sports NI, told local newspaper Sunday Life: “We are appalled and sickened that Judy is being returned to Pinkerton given how she suffered at his hands.

“The pictures of Judy’s horrific injuries speak for themselves, yet our justice system is allowing her to go back to Pinkerton.

“The League Against Cruel Sports and PSNI worked very hard to ensure that the person behind this awful brutality was appropriately punished.

“We would like to thank the PSNI for their hard work and assistance throughout this case.”

Pictured is fox hunter Neil Pinkerton from Belfast outside court

Sunday Life previously reported how bloodthirsty Pinkerton relished getting his dogs to kill foxes in a closed Facebook group.

He wrote in the North Coast Lurchers Under the Beam page: “Fantastic hunt today, dug (a) lovely fox for wee bitch…big f* killed the thing in (the) hole, crushed its head. Fs. Lol.”

In another exchange seen by Sunday Life, he boasted to a fellow member: “That lurcher killing them but to kill and draw, fs!”.

Pictured is fox hunter Neil Pinkerton from Belfast

Pinkerton also shared a graphic video of one hunt and sickening images of both the dead fox and the savaged, bleeding dog, captioned: “One’s going to feel this in the morning, one’s not”.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom where hunting with dogs is still legal.

In December 2021 a private members bill to ban all hunting with dogs in Northern Ireland was defeated with MLA Jonathan Buckley arguing that an outright ban would amount to a suppression of a dog’s “basic and natural instinct”.

BelfastLive 27/03/2018
Belfast Telegraph 24/04/2018

Previous:
Belfast Live 26/03/2018

Additional Information

Pinkerton has an alias Facebook account in the name Harry John Digging.

Update June 2022

Northern Irish newspaper the Sunday Life reported that Pinkerton had dodged cruelty charges despite a raft of evidence gathered by the USPCA, League Against Cruelty Sports and Naturewatch.

Photographs, video footage and extracts from private chat groups were gathered in the hope of building a prosecution against Pinkerton.

PSNI raided his small terraced house where they seized 12 dogs kept in cages in the front garden and kitchen.

Unbelievably Belfast City Council declined to bring charges against Pinkerton, and his dogs – some of which had sustained fighting injuries – were returned to him. Pinkerton allegedly live-streamed the return of the dogs on Facebook.

The Sunday Life described Pinkerton as ranking “among the more senior hunters in Northern Ireland despite his relatively young age”.

In July 2018 Pinkerton agreed to give up five of the 10 dogs he owned after they were found housed in a derelict shop in east Belfast by animal welfare officers from Belfast City Council.

Update | October 2022

On 4 October 2022 BBC Northern Ireland broadcast ‘Spotlight – Hunting with Dogs’ which featured Pinkerton.

Investigators showed some of the evidence they had gathered from Pinkerton’s social media accounts – one in his own name and another in the name ‘Harry John Digging’. This included posts on shadowy online groups containing coded language for badgers (e.g. “pigs”, “black and white”, “humbug” “Newcastle”, “Geordies”) which are protected in Northern Ireland as they are in the rest of the UK.

Pinkerton had posted photographs of various dogs with distinctive facial injuries (significant loss of tissue, jaws bitten off) which were more consistent with badger baiting than fox hunting.

Update | March 2024

Pinkerton received a suspended prison sentence after his dog bit an 11-year-old boy on the leg..

Pinkerton, still of 26 Clandeboye Street in Belfast, was ordered to pay legal and court costs and compensation, as well as the suspended sentence.

The prosecution was taken by Belfast City Council andPinkerton was convicted under Article 29(2) of The Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983.

He received a four-month prison sentence, suspended for one year and was required to pay £150 legal and court costs and compensation order totalling £250 to the victim.

It was also ordered the dog be destroyed unless kept confined in a building, shed, yard or other enclosure from which he/she cannot escape, fitted with a muzzle sufficient to prevent the dog biting any person and kept under control.

Belfast Telegraph

Dogs, foxes, hunting with dogs, hunts, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Ashbourne, Derbyshire / Tutbury, Staffordshire: Johnny Greenall and Glen Morris

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CONVICTED (2012) | Meynell and South Staffordshire hunt master John Edward Greenall, born July 1960 of Wootton Hall Estate, Wootton, Ellastone, Ashbourne DE6 2GW, and hunt field member Glen Morris, born c. 1969, of Ludgate Street, Tutbury, Burton-on-Trent DE13 9NG – illegally hunted fox cubs with hounds.

Johnny Greenall (right) and Glen Morris pictured outside court
Johnny Greenall (right) and Glen Morris pictured outside court

Greenall, son of the Baron of Daresbury, and hunt employee Morris were secretly filmed by anti-hunt protesters trying to kill foxes near Hilton in Staffordshire.

Both men denied breaching the Hunting Act but were both convicted.

Footage played in court showed members of the Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt surrounding a wood at Suffield Farm in Sutton on the Hill in October 2011.

The hounds entered the wood to hunt young foxes in a sport known as ‘cubbing’.

One fleeing fox was scared back into the wood by the surrounding huntsmen who were clapping their hands.

Hunting foxes with dogs was made illegal in the 2004 Hunting Act.

Johnny Greenall. Picture: Facebook

Summing up, the judge said: “The evidence that Greenall was the hunt master is not in dispute nor is the fact that he was there that day.

“Greenall gave an innocent explanation as to why he was there in his police interview. But he has chosen not to give evidence in front of me.

“This is because the evidence would not stand up to any scrutiny.”

Tim Bonner, from the Countryside Alliance, was disappointed with the ruling. He said: “I am surprised at the verdict when there is no evidence in which foxes are shown to be pursued, let alone being caught by the hounds.”

Steve Harris, head of enforcement at The League Against Cruel Sports, said: “We are very pleased that Derbyshire Police thoroughly investigated this case and that the Crown Prosecution Service were willing to allow a court to decide on who was telling the truth.”

Sentencing | Greenall was fined £3,515 and Morris was ordered to pay £515.

Wildlife Guardian

Update October 2012

The not so honourable Johnny Greenall stepped down from his role as chairman of The Meynell & South Staffordshire Hunt, citing the court case as his reason.

Source: North West Hunt Saboteurs

Additional Information

Johnny Greenall owns the Duncombe Arms pub/restaurant in Main Road, Ellastone, Ashbourne DE6 2GZ with wife Laura Greenall.

Their son, former jockey Jack Greenall, owns the Pheasant Inn in Hungerford, Reading.