Four fined £20,000 after destroying a farmer's field in Wragby
They were also caught in possession of hare coursing equipment
Last updated 26th Apr 2024
Four men will pay nearly 20 thousand pounds after they destroyed a farmers field in Lincolnshire.
They were also caught with hare coursing equipment.
Last October the group from Doncaster travelled to the hamlet of Apley near Wragby where they drove through a farmers field damaging land
All four pleaded guilty to being equipped to hare course, breach of section nine of the animal welfare act ,and criminal damage.
At Lincoln Magistrates they were also given a 10-year criminal behaviour order not to enter Lincolnshire with longdogs and have been disqualified from keeping dogs for a decade
Magistrates described the crimes as ‘cruel and despicable’.
The crime was reported to Lincolnshire Police and patrolling officers from Spec Ops quickly identified the vehicle and stopped the group near Burton Waters.
Officers found longdogs and equipment such as lamps – used in lamping to stun wild animals before dogs are set loose.
To anyone thinking about travelling to Lincolnshire to commit offences, my message is clear – don’t
They were arrested and subsequently videos of animal fights were found on their phones.
They were also given a 10-year criminal behaviour order not to enter Lincolnshire with longdogs.
They have been disqualified from keeping dogs for a decade too.
The men will also have to carry out 100 hours of community service under probation and were asked to forfeit belongings, such as their mobile phones and lamps.
This result comes after a lengthy police investigation and PC Karen Irving, who works for the rural crime action team, insists this behaviour won’t be tolerated.
She said: “We are determined to make Lincolnshire the safest place to live, work and visit.
"This result shows we will use all avenues available to us to bring people to justice and protect our communities and wildlife."
"A huge team effort involving a number of different departments, all with different skills united to demonstrate the strength of our commitment to protecting our rural towns, villages, and hamlets.
"To anyone thinking about travelling to Lincolnshire to commit offences, my message is clear – don’t"
"If we find you, you will be punished.”