19th June 2023
EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE
A convicted hare courser has had his conviction upheld and been ordered to pay over £1000 following an appeal hearing at Hull Crown Court last week.
Michael Berry (51) of Avon Court, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, was originally convicted in July 2022 of hunting a wild mammal with a dog and trespassing in search of game near Arnold in the East Riding of Yorkshire in October 2021.
On Sunday 31 October 2021 officers from our Rural Task Force located offenders on private farmland with lurcher type dogs, after receiving a report from a member of the public of suspicious behaviour in the area.
In addition to the original total of £600 fines and costs Berry was ordered to pay at the initial sentencing, he was ordered to pay an additional £500 costs at Hull Crown Court, taking the total financial penalty to £1,100.
Berry’s three-year Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) remain in place. Under the terms of the Order he is prohibited from: entering the Humberside Police force area; entering any private farmland in England or Wales with a sighthound or lurcher type dog; being in company with someone with a sighthound or lurcher without written permission from the landowner; allowing a sighthound or lurcher to stray onto private farmland from any public footpath or highway; causing harassment, alarm or distress to any person in England or Wales.
Following the appeal hearing, PC Fussey of the Rural Task Force said: “This conviction demonstrates that rural and wildlife crime, in particular hare coursing, is a priority for Humberside Police and we will continue to work hard to bring offenders to justice.
“We have seen a 42% reduction in hare coursing in our area over the last 12 months, this upheld conviction further supports the work of the Rural Task Force to further prevent instances of hunting.
“We continue to work with our communities to fight against rural and wildlife crime and thank the members of the public who had the courage to report this incident.
“If you have any information about rural or wildlife crime please call us on our non-emergency number, 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”