Four Essex men charged in connection with Hare Coursing and disorder
Four men from Essex are among those charged in a major crackdown on hare coursing and associated violent disorder
Four men from Essex are among those charged in a major crackdown on hare coursing and associated violent disorder following a wide-ranging investigation led by Cambridgeshire Police.
The charges stem from incidents that occurred on 25 January, when police responded to reports of illegal hare coursing and violence in rural parts of Cambridgeshire. Two of the Essex men were arrested in their home county by officers from Essex Police’s Rural Engagement Team.
Fredrick Butcher, 51, and Freddy-Cole Butcher, 22, both of Chelmsford Road, Ingatestone, are among those facing charges.
Fredrick Butcher has been charged with attending a hare coursing event, while Freddy-Cole Butcher faces a charge of theft from a shop.
Anthony Coyle, 32, and Francis Coyle, 19, both of Pilgrims Lane, Grays, have also been charged with attending hare coursing events.
All four men are due to appear at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 19 September.
The investigation forms part of a broader police effort that has seen a total of 25 men charged with 39 offences in connection with the January incidents. In total, 43 individuals have been arrested, with one juvenile voluntarily interviewed.
As part of the same investigation, 17 more people—including three others from Essex—have been issued with community protection notices (CPNs) or community protection warnings (CPWs). These include a 28-year-old man, a 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy.
The cross-border crackdown has been supported by a coalition of seven police forces—Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, and Suffolk—working under the banner of Operation Galileo.
Established in September 2021, the initiative allows officers to operate beyond traditional force boundaries when tackling hare coursing and rural crime, simplifying arrests and prosecutions across the region.
With backing from the Crown Prosecution Service, the forces now have the power to act as a single entity in issuing enforcement measures such as CPNs, CPWs, and Criminal Behaviour Orders.
The community protection measures issued as part of this case come with strict conditions. These include bans on being in possession of dogs on private land without written permission, travelling with dogs more than five miles from home without a veterinary appointment, carrying catapults or air weapons, and driving onto farmland without prior consent.
Individuals are also prohibited from using public spaces with the intention to hare course or behaving in an intimidating or abusive manner across the seven counties involved in Operation Galileo.
Police say the operation sends a strong message to those engaging in rural crime that coordinated enforcement is increasing in both scale and effectiveness.