12th November 2026
A businessman accused of trespassing and pursuing hares at a National Trust site alongside two others has been found not guilty of some charges.
Leslie Coneley, of Glenville Park in Royal Wootton Bassett, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, November 10, alongside co-defendants Luke Ockendon, and Jimmy Lee, of Hogwood Meadows Park in Wokingham.
The trio were all accused of trespassing at Avebury National Trust site on February 15 with the intention of pursuing hares with dogs, and going equipped for the pursuit with Saluki-type sight hounds and slip leads.
33-year-old Coneley is listed on Companies House as the director of Hawksridge Roofing and Building, based in Royal Wootton Bassett, and as the director of Classic Drives & Patios LTD.
He stood trial in Swindon Magistrates’ Court alongside Ockendon and Lee on Tuesday, after pleading not guilty to both charges against him.
Magistrates found that there was not sufficient evidence to convict the three defendants of trespassing at Avebury, and so the trio were found not guilty and the trespassing charges were dismissed.
However, the charges of being equipped for hare coursing remain for all three defendants.
Coneley, Ockendon and Lee have now been remanded on unconditional bail for the outstanding charges, and they are due to reappear at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on January 11, 2027 at 10am.
Scum like this always plead not guilty but they are ALL as guilty as hell it seems pretty obvious to me. They should all get jail sentences and then on release tagged and made to do unpaid work for 5 years and the hardest the better.