10 February 2015
Appearing before Scarborough Magistrates’ Court this afternoon Lee Martin, Terrierman for the Middleton Hunt was found guilty of blocking up a badger sett in current use, contrary to Section 3 of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.
At the end of a two day trial, Magistrates ruled Lee Martin was guilty of interfering with a badger sett near Scrayingham, on 29th March 2014, when the Middleton Hunt were due to meet at Pasture Farm.
Martin was given a community service order of 120 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay total costs and a surcharge of £970 in full within 28 days.
Joe Duckworth, Chief Executive at the League Against Cruel Sports said: “We are pleased with today’s verdict. The defendant’s actions and his obvious total disrespect for wildlife has been exposed and dealt with by the courts thanks to the work of our investigators and the Police.
“This case clearly demonstrates that foxes are not the only wild animals to suffer at the hands of hunts. The deliberate persecution of any wild animal is not acceptable and our team of professional investigators work hard in the field to capture illegal activity to bring about prosecutions.”
The case is one of a number brought by the Crown Prosecution Service following evidence supplied by the League Against Cruel Sports and investigations carried out by North Yorkshire Police.
Tom Holt, the Joint Master and Huntsman of the Middleton Hunt, is accused of hunting a wild mammal with dogs at Knapton Lodge, West Knapton, Malton, last February. Holt is due to face trial later on this week on February 12.
Kennel Huntsman Barry Andrews, has also appeared in court accused of interfering with a badger sett in woods at Bossall, Malton, and is due to face trial on February 23 and 24.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Sentence:
Terrierman Lee Martin was given a community service order of 120 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay total costs and a surcharge of £970 in full within 28 days.
Video footage of the incident is available here http://youtu.be/U41VQTfcOUI
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