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.
Tom Ledbury was captured on video watching another person remove a terrified fox from his den before throwing the animal to a pack of hunting dogs.
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.
Stuart Radbourne (left) and Oliver Thompson
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.
Image credit: Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs
A fourth man named Charlie Ball was also present and initially prosecuted. Unfortunately, the status of the prosecution against him isn’t currently known.
Charlie Ball (standing) pictured with Tom Ledbury. Photo credit: Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs – Twitter
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.
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.
CONVICTED (2023) | father and son wildlife persecutors Robert Mills, born c. 1956, and Jack Mills, born c. 2001, both of Little Orchard, Exted, Elham, Canterbury CT4 6YG – used superglue to patch up the wounds of a dog forced to fight a fox.
Jack Mills (left), his father Robert Mills (centre) and an as yet unidentified Kent Hounds terrierman. Photo credit: West Kent Hunt Sabs
Robert and Jack Mills, who are believed to be terriermen with the Kent Hounds, used the strong commercial adhesive in a botched DIY effort to put the Patterdale terrier’s lip back together after she was maimed during the illegal chase.
The terrier, known as Fudge, was one of two dogs discovered with shocking injuries at the pair’s family home in Elham, near Canterbury.
The other, a lurcher called Rose, had extensive scars across her face, a large part of her tongue missing and she had a weeping nailbed on one of her paws.
Photo credit: Kent Online. Robert Mills is pictured outside court (left)
The Mills had allowed the animals to suffer without seeking proper treatment for their injuries.
Incriminating messages – including a photo of a smiling Jack Mills posing with a dead fox – were found during examinations of their mobile photos.
In court, both men pleaded to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
The court was told police executed a warrant at their home on January 18, 2023, as part of an RSPCA investigation known as Operation Aurora.
In a statement provided to the court, RSPCA special operations officer Jason Bowles, said: “Rose from kennel A had a large part of the skin around her lower jaw missing and part of her tongue. Her feet were discoloured. She had extensive scarring to her face and muzzle.
“Fudge from kennel A had part of her lower jaw in an unusual state in that it looked to have been injured in the past and had healed in an odd shape and she had scarring to the muzzle.
“There was a strong smell of ammonia in the building but I took into consideration that this was early in the morning, possibly before an early morning routine had been executed.
“Bedding was inadequate in all kennels in that they did have hard beds but only remnants of straw in some.
“Water bowls were present but at least one kennel only had remnants of water. Bowls could easily be knocked over and spills take place. Empty bowls were refilled.”
Of the five dogs kept in kennels in the outbuilding, two of them – Rose and Fudge – were seized.
The court was shown messages discussing how Robert and Jack Mills had used glue to try to repair degloved tissue on a dog’s lip after she had been injured by a fox. No pain relief had been sought
Recounting the notes of an expert veterinarian who examined the animals, prosecutor Janet Patel told magistrates: “There was damage to the skin of Rose’s lower jaw with the site of a deep tear or cut visible on the lower jaw and a loss of the lip margin contiguity.
“A significant amount of the tongue had been lost in a surgical or traumatic incident. The lesions are consistent with those that could be received in a fight between this dog and a large mammal such as a dog, fox, or badger.”
The vet added that a nail was missing on Rose’s left paw, oozing fluid and causing clear pain to the dog.
Fudge was found to have suffered significant damage to his face and head, and was missing a number of front teeth.
“The person caring for Fudge cut off some tissue, used commercial superglue to try and repair degloved tissue on her face and did not administer any pain medication,” the prosecutor added.
Messages shared between Robert and Jack Mills – both bricklayers by trade – described the dogs being used to hunt foxes.
Records from their phones indicated Fudge was caused harm in November 2021.
The vet added: “The entries, dated 16.11.2021, lead me to believe that Fudge was involved in a fight with a mammal such as a fox, large dog, or badger.
“The use of the word ‘hangin’ implies the lower jaw has been degloved to some extent, leaving the tissue literally hanging. There are two more statements. Firstly, that super glue has been used to try and put it back together and secondly that some of the flesh has been cut away.” This referred to a message, containing a typo, which said: “I just cut a bit of.”
Fudge had significant facial injuries and was missing several front teeth
The vet continued: “To advise the court in this matter I am forming my opinion on the basis that the person caring for Fudge cut off some tissue, used commercial super glue to try and repair the degloved tissue and did not administer any medication.”
Another mobile phone message discovered by officers read: “Had any joy with the fox?”
A picture of a dead fox was also shared with the words: “Went out this morning, Fudge killed it.”
Rose had a swollen toe with a nail missing. The vet that examined her said she vocalised her pain during examination
Ms Patel added: “That is the language of both Jack and Robert tracking and killing foxes, and it is not them flushing a fox out so that it can be killed humanely with a pistol.
“Both Jack and Robert Mills have shown deliberate disregard for the welfare of animals by placing them in situations where they sustained these horrific injuries.”
When questioned by police, Robert said that the dogs’ facial injuries had occurred when Rose and Fudge encountered a badger in the garden and that both dogs had been attacked by a rabbit.
But his son contradicted that claim in an interview, saying that neither dog had ever come across a badger.
Mitigating, solicitor Sam Harkness told the bench both men were remorseful.
“Mr Mills says he has owned dogs all his life. He deeply regrets his actions and Mr Mills Junior says this is a steep learning curve,” said Mr Harkness.
“They are both devastated that they have been involved in these proceedings, but they have cooperated.”
The charges related specifically to Fudge’s facial injury and the wound to Rose’s foot, which was sustained in the days before the police visit in January 2023.
During a discussion about the prospect of both defendants being banned from keeping any animals, the pair were seen intensely shaking their heads.
Sentencing the pair, chairwoman of the bench Patricia Light told them they had “broken the custody threshold because there is more than one dog with deliberate suffering,”
She added: “The fact that you have access to a vet and financial means to pay for treatment and yet still did not seek treatment shows deliberate disregard for the welfare of the animals.”
She continued: “We are also granting a deprivation order for Fudge and Rose and the RSPCA will seize your other dogs.
“We are also granting a disqualification order for both of you in relation to owning, keeping, or participating in controlling or transporting any animals for five years, no application may be made to appeal this for two years.”
Rose and Fudge, who have remained with the RSPCA since January 2023, can now be rehomed.
The Mills’ other three dogs will be seized within 14 days, with magistrates also giving them two weeks to rehome a number of chickens and ferrets.
Sentencing | 23-week custodial, suspended for two years; 150 hours of unpaid work; £500 costs and £154 surcharge each. Five year ban in relation to all animals, but can appeal after two years (expires December 2028).
CONVICTED | huntsman Oliver Thompson, 32, of 4 Old Berks Hunt Kennels, Little Coxwell, Faringdon SN7 8ES – baited a petrified fox cub with a dog while his wife Felicity Thompson, aka Felicity Hook, filmed events.
Huntsman Oliver Thompson was filmed training a terrier to attack a fox
Thompson, formerly of the Old Berkshire Hunt, was filmed removing a young fox from a trap and repeatedly putting her in close proximity to a terrier named Nelly in July 2020.
The video – filmed near Melksham, Wiltshire – was leaked and the RSPCA successfully prosecuted the defendant Oliver Thompson for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
Thompson pleaded guilty to the offence at Swindon Magistrates’ Court, and appeared for sentencing on Monday 11 December.
He also admitted second charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal – which involved throwing a fox to a pack of hounds on Christmas Eve 2020.
Magistrates described his offending as “sadistic behaviour” in which he had a “leading role”.
Thompson’s wife Felicity Thompson aka Felicity Hook had the case against her dismissed after the prosecution offered no evidence.
Felicity Thompson, whose voice is heard on the video, was also charged. However, prosecutors offered no evidence and the case against her was dismissed.
After the footage was leaked, the British Hound Sports Association said it had suspended Oliver Thompson pending further investigation. but he subsequently resigned from the Old Berkshire Hunt.
A spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association said that it was “no surprise for us to learn about the latest incident of animal cruelty”.
They added: “These two new offences pre-date, but are in addition to the recent court case of Stuart Radbourne and whipper-in Aaron Fookes who were also sentenced Hunting Act and Animal Welfare Act offences, when they also threw a fox to the hounds in Brokerswood in December 2022.
“Hunt Saboteurs are out in the fields, week in week out and witness the cruelty at every hunt we attend. The next government must act and close down the smokescreen of trail hunting for good.”
Sentencing | 20-week prison sentence suspended for two years; 300 hours of unpaid work; costs of £2,500. No dog ban was imposed but the court ordered Thompson to hand Nelly the terrier over to the RSPCA. It’s not known if she will be re-homed or put to sleep.
‘Not Guilty’ (2023) | huntsman Myles O’Connor, born c 1993, of 3 Greenwells Cottages, Melrose TD6 9HE – cleared of illegally hunting a fox with dogs.
Myles O’Connor, formerly a whipper-in with the Buccleuch Hunt, is now believed to be working for the Old Berkshire Hunt in Faringdon, Oxfordshire. Image credit: Scottish Borders Hunt Sabs
O’Connor, of the Buccleuch Hunt based in the Scottish Borders, was found not guilty of hunting a fox with dogs at Hume, near Kelso, on 22 December 2021.
It was claimed that a hound started chasing a fox after picking up a scent and nothing was done to stop the pursuit.
Myles O’Connor gets friendly with fellow wildlife killer Tim Allen, also of the Buccleuch Hunt. Source: Scottish Borders Hunt Sabs
However, Mark Moir KC said in his closing statement: “Mr O’Connor did not see the single hound chasing the fox and therefore was not deliberately involved in encouraging the hunting.”
After considering the evidence, Sheriff Peter Paterson agreed and delivered a not guilty verdict.
He said: “It is well known that cases of this nature involve highly emotive issues with a clear polar divide.
“That is not a matter for the court. It is for the court to apply the law.
“In this case, thankfully and possibly for the last time, this does not need the complexities of the 2002 Act.
“It boils down to whether the accused witnessed the single hound pursuing the fox and under the law I need to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt.”
Sheriff Paterson said he agreed with Mr Moir’s position that O’Connor did not see the hound pursuing the fox and, if he had, he would have taken steps to recall that hound.
He added he had no difficulty in returning a not guilty verdict in this case.
O’Connor, who gave an address in Melrose, is no longer with the Buccleuch Hunt and is understood to be working for the Old Berkshire Hunt, which is based in Faringdon, Oxfordshire.
Robbie Marsland, director of the LACS, said it was disappointed with “yet another not guilty verdict”.
He said it showed the need for a “new, stronger law” to replace the 2002 act, which the group said had led to only one successful prosecution for mounted fox hunting.
CONVICTED (2023) ex-Wynnstay Hunt employee Christopher J Woodward, born 20 November 1984, previously of Ruabon, Wrexham, but now of Huntsman House, The Kennels, South Lawn, Swinbrook, Burford OX18 4FH – caught interfering with a badger sett.
Christopher Woodward is now employed by the Heythrop Hunt
On 3 February 2023, huntsman Christopher Woodward and a second Wynnstay Hunt employee identified as whipper-in Charlie Young were caught red-handed blocking the badger sett near Whitchurch, North Wales, in preparation for the following day’s hunting in the area.
Hunt saboteurs confronted the pair, who fled the scene. .
North Wales Police launched an investigation which led to the prosecution of Woodward, who is now employed by the Heythrop Hunt, based in Banbury, West Oxfordshire,
According to the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) Woodward and Young were caught three weeks earlier blocking the same badger sett.
The purpose of this cruel practice, which can cause badgers to suffocate, is to force foxes above ground so that they can be illegally hunted.
Woodward’s alleged accomplice Charlie Young. It’s not known if he also faced charges
Following Woodward’s conviction an HSA spokesperson said: “The blocking of badger setts is routine practice by fox hunts across the country.
“Not only is such behaviour illegal under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, it provides obvious evidence of the intent to/commit offences under the Hunting Act.
“The fact that this seedy pair were caught on film at the same badger sett only weeks earlier beggars belief and provides further compelling evidence of the habitual nature of such offences.”
Woodward is due to appear in court again in October 2023 to face charges in relation to breaches of the Hunting Act.
Sentencing | £500 fine plus £200 victim surcharge and £85 costs. The fine takes into account his guilty plea and income and is to be paid within 28 days.
CONVICTED (2023) | Avon Vale Hunt members Aaron Marcus Fookes, born 16 December 1993, of Townsend Green, Henstridge, Templecombe BA8 0TT, and Stuart Timothy Radbourne, born 11 April 1984, of 45 The Common, Chippenham SN15 2JJ – unearthed a live fox and threw her to a pack of hounds.
Aaron Fookes (left) and Stuart Radbourne – a convicted badger baiter – pleaded guilty to wildlife offences after being filmed unearthing a fox and throwing her to hounds. Photo: Wiltshire999s
Avon Vale Hunt whipper-in Fookes and hunt master Radbourne pleaded guilty to wildlife offences. The pair were prosecuted after a video emerged on social media showing the hunt duo and others pulling a live fox out of a den and throwing the terrified animal to a pack of hounds.
Crown prosecutor Patrick Schneider said the pair had been hunting in Brokerswood, Wiltshire, when video footage – which was later leaked to anti-hunt activists – was taken of them.
The footage, taken on 20 December 2022, showed Fookes kneeling down over the entrance of a badger sett with his arms down into it, pulling out a live fox. Radbourne is heard making whooping noises before the fox is chucked to a large pack of hounds and killed.
Solicitor Sam Harkness, representing both men, said that press coverage of the incident has “utterly destroyed the lives of the defendants”.
They were both left jobless, with Fookes leaving the county due to threats made against him.
Fookes now works as an agricultural contractor earning around £2,000 per month, whilst Radbourne is struggling with “significant debts” and earning £1,000 a month as a farmer and equestrian.
Radbourne, who faced one charge of hunting a wild mammal with dogs, was fined £384 and told to pay £42.50 costs and a £154 surcharge.
Photo: Wiltshire999s
Fookes was handed an 18-month community order for animal cruelty. He must complete 200 hours of unpaid work. For the fox hunting offence, he was fined £833 and must pay £42.50 costs and a £330 surcharge.
Aaron Fookes (left) and Stuart Radbourne
Alex Warden, born c. 1998, of Wood Road, North Bradley, Trowbridge, appeared in court in July 2023 where he denied illegally hunting a wild mammal with dogs.
Warden also denied causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
He chose to be tried by a jury at crown court and will appear at Salisbury Crown Court on 21 December, 2023.
The defendant was granted bail on the condition he does not participate in any trail-hunting in Wiltshire.
Two other people arrested earlier in the year will face no further action.
In February 2023, after footage of this incident was circulated on social media, the Hound Sports Regulatory Authority (HSRA) panel barred the Avon Vale Hunt – meaning the group could no longer operate.
Stuart Radbourne was back before the courts on October 27,2023, to be sentenced for an earlier animal cruelty offence.
He pleaded guilty to being jointly concerned with others in causing unnecessary suffering to a fox by causing it to be thrown to and savaged by hounds in Melksham on December 24, 2020.
Due to the seriousness of the offence, where a child was present, harm was caused to a protected animal, and the incident was filmed and shared with others, he received an 18-week prison sentence which was suspended for 12 months.
During those 12 months, he must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, as well as pay £750 in court costs and £128 to fund victim services.
CONVICTED (2022) | huntsman Mark Anthony Pearson, born February 1960, of Chisel House, Hanford, Blandford Forum DT11 8HQ – found guilty of illegal hunting after he “encouraged” his out of control dogs to kill a fox.
Image source: Daily Echo
Company director Mark Pearson was observed by activists from Weymouth Animal Rights to shout “carry on” and “hunt on” at his hounds after they chased and attacked the animal during a trail hunt. The joint master of the South Dorset Hunt was then seen to carry the dead fox out of undergrowth where it had been cornered.
Pearson was found guilty of illegally hunting a wild mammal with dogs in violation of the Hunting Act 2004. Magistrates heard Pearson was leading the South Dorset Hunt through countryside in Bere Regis when the incident happened on December 13, 2021.
Another fox had been killed earlier that day by the same pack of dogs but that incident was dismissed as an unfortunate accident by police.
Image source: Weymouth Animal Rights
Two hours later, when the majority of the hunt had left, hunt saboteurs monitoring the event heard the hounds baying. One animal rights campaigner filmed the aftermath of the attack.
Pearson can be seen in footage dressed in the red coat of a master huntsman getting off his horse and walking to the barking hounds by the gorse.
Molly Mifsud, prosecuting, told the courtthat Pearson had failed to stop his hounds from killing the fox while unaware he was being filmed.
She said: “There was a hunt going on and the hounds went to ground.
“Actions of the huntsman prior to that point caused that fox to be killed.
“These actions were all in violation of Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004.
“A person commits an offence if he hunts a wild mammal with a dog.”
Joanne Joss, one of the saboteurs, told the court she thought Pearson was encouraging the hounds.
Asked by the prosecutor what Ms Joss heard Pearson shouting after he got off his horse, she replied: “He got off his horse and joined the hounds in the gorse.
“He seemed to be encouraging them and I could hear him shouting ‘carry on’ and when he emerged from the gorse he kept saying ‘hunt on.'”
Miss Mifsud asked Ms Joss how many times Pearson ‘encouraged’ the hounds.
She said: “He was by the hounds on horseback. He told them to ‘carry on’ and said that four times as if he wanted them to carry on where the fox was.
“He got off the horse and joined them in the gorse, we thought he was leading them on.”
Derek Perry, defending, denied that Pearson had encouraged the hounds. He said his client tried to call the dogs back and was heard shouting at them ‘leave it’.
Mr Perry said: “The reality is that he blew his horn to call the hounds back.
“When the hounds didn’t all obey he got off his horse and came straight down the hill to tell them to leave it.
“The recording was taken from some fields away and in it you can hear Mr Pearson shouting ‘leave it’.
“He does not run away from the scene, he calmly takes the body to be taken away and continues on.
“At no point can Mr Pearson be heard saying ‘hunt on’.”
But in finding him guilty, presiding magistrate Justice Stephen Corben told Pearson that he should have had control over the hounds before they slaughtered the fox.
Mr Corben said: “The prosecution has shown us three video clips and called witnesses who have given evidence that is credible and consistent.
“Mr Pearson told the court that he had decades of experience with hounds.
“He stated that he tried to get the hounds to stop but it seems that they were already hunting in the gorse.
“We believe that Mr Pearson should have had full control of his pack.
“He told us he used a special call to bring them back but it didn’t work.
“We therefore find him guilty of the illegal hunting of a wild mammal.”
Sentencing: fined £6,000, victim surcharge of £190 and costs of £620.
Pearson had his conviction for illegal fox hunting overturned after a judge raised “significant concerns” over the Crown’s case.
In overturning the decision, His Honour Judge Stephen Climie said the Crown has ‘failed to prove’ it was Mr Pearson’s intention for the dogs to kill the animal but did say Pearson ‘could have done more’ to prevent the death.
CONVICTED (2022) | John Bennet Wright, born 25 March 1989, of 17 Viking Crescent, Houston, Johnstone PA6 8LQ – battered a disabled foxhunt protestor.
Wright, who is associated with the Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire (L&R) Hunt, was caught on camera violently pulling Grant Sloan, who uses aids to walk, out of his vehicle and repeatedly kicking him.
The hunt thug lashed out when Mr Sloan was watching L&R hunt in Bridge of Weir in October 2020.
Mr Sloan was able to record the brutal attack on his phone and the footage shows Wright kicking him on the chest.
Prosecutor Amber Feeney told the court: “Around 3.30pm, Mr Sloan was in Bridge of Weir due to a fox hunt taking place and was parked at the side of the road in his vehicle alone.
“A short time later, three males approached, with one of them being the accused.
“One of the unknown males shouted at Mr Sloan to leave and he attempted to explain he was there not to cause any issue.
“At this point, the accused and another male opened the car door and pulled him out of the vehicle.
“Mr Sloan started to record this and the accused started to repeatedly kick Mr Sloan.
“Mr Sloan captured the accused kick him on the chest and the accused left with the two males. Police were contacted.
“Officers attended and system checks in relation to fox hunt nominals were carried out which identified the accused as the man in Mr Sloan’s video.”
Ms Feeney told the court that Mr Sloan was against fox hunting and was parked at the side of the road to observe if anything “untoward” took place, and it appeared that Wright was a “fan” of fox-hunting.
Defence agent Craig Broadley told the court Wright, who works for a local landscaping company “accepts” his behaviour.
Broadley added: “He doesn’t think he kicked the man particularly hard but he understands that doesn’t make a difference.
“He had been drinking with a friend fishing in the local area and when he was walking home he met the group.
“He does accept his actions and acting aggressively and that his behaviour was unacceptable.”
Sentencing Wright, Sheriff Eoin McGinty told him : “This was a particularly frightening incident for Mr Sloan as he was surrounded by a mob and manhandled from his car and thereafter you kicked him on the chest.”
The sentence was strongly welcomed by the Glasgow Hunt Sabs group – a group dedicated to protecting wild animals from hunters that Mr Sloan is a part of.
A spokesperson for the group told national newspaper the Express: “We are pleased with this outcome.
“John Wright is guilty of attacking not only a lone, but also disabled member of our group, who was dragged from his car as he monitored illegal hunting at the Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire Foxhounds.
“The brave actions of our sab, who managed to film part of the incident, certainly helped with the verdict.
“On the day in question, members of our group were subjected to violent threats constantly from hunt staff looking for fights. Before the attack took place, another of our vehicles had its tyres slashed.”
Glasgow Hunt Sabs continuously call for stronger fox-hunting laws to be introduced by the Scottish Government, the spokesperson added: “Those associated with the Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire Foxhounds continuously demonstrate why stronger, more meaningful fox hunting laws are needed.
“But until the Scottish Government brings its laws into line, we at Glasgow Hunt Sabs will not be deterred by cowardly acts of violence, and will continue to protect wildlife from the immeasurable cruelty in our countryside.”
Sentencing | 12-month supervision order with180 hours of unpaid work; £500 compensation to victim.
In March 2022 Wright was given a community sentence, fine and driving ban after being caught driving while six times over the legal limit of alcohol. He was also in possession of a locking knife without an excuse. Wright’s lawyer told the court how there is a “background of alcohol misuse and addition” adding that his client is attending Alcoholics Anonymous.
CONVICTED (2022) | Mark Marshall Ferguson, born November 1972, of 2 Vale Lodge, Rolleston Road, Skeffington LE7 9YD – attacked a hunt saboteur with a horse crop.
Mark Ferguson, a director of the Woodland Pytchley Hunt, was found guilty of assault and criminal damage following a clash with Peterborough Hunt Sabs in October 2019.
The court heard that Ferguson grabbed a woman by the back of her collar before striking her on the head with his riding crop in a field near Clipston.
Mark Ferguson is caught on camera attacking a hunt saboteur. Image source: Peterborough Hunt Sabs
Ferguson pleaded not guilty to both offences but was convicted and ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £2,125.
Police confirmed the victim — who was in her 50s — suffered a cut head and bruising to her neck after Ferguson rode up behind her on his horse during an altercation between members of the Brixworth-based Pytchley Hunt and the group in October 2019.
She was also thrown backwards, causing her phone to smash.
Northamptonshire Police rural crime officer, PC Chloe Gillies, said: “I am pleased that Mark Ferguson was found guilty of these offences at court as this type of behaviour is unacceptable.
“Ferguson’s actions here could have had far more serious consequences and for the victim’s sake, I am pleased that they didn’t.
“There is never an excuse to assault someone and Northamptonshire Police will always pursue criminal action against any offender.”
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.
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.
