15th February 2023
Following a joint investigation into illegal badger baiting by the Ribble Valley Rural Task Force and the RSPCA, in conjunction with their Special Operations Unit, Carl Harwood aged 27 of Lowerhouse Lane, Burnley has been convicted at Blackburn Magistrates Court on the 8th February 2023 of offences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1991 and Animal Welfare Act 2006.
In total Harwood was sentenced to a 16 week custodial sentence – suspended for 12 months, ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, observe a 3 month tagged curfew, between 8pm and 8am each night, and ordered to pay £500 costs.
In addition to this Harwood was also made subject to a 5yr disqualification order meaning that he is disqualified from keeping any animal for a period of 5 years.
This conviction sends out a clear message that activities of this nature be investigated robustly and the perpetrators brought to justice.
Badgers are a protected species and Badger baiting causes unthinkable suffering to all the animals involved and will not be tolerated.
We would therefore appeal to anyone with information about incidents of this nature to report them to the RSPCA, Badger Trust or to your local crime team at RuralTaskForce@lancashire.police.uk
Suspended sentence???WHY the hell do these judges sentence scum and then let them off?????Ridiculous. Also this parasite should have been banned from having or going near any animal ever again and tagged for life. Evil bastards like this never change he will do this all again so he should be locked away.