Man convicted of harecoursing in East Yorkshire
Michael Johnson from Bishop Auckland has been banned from the Humberside Police area after being caught harecoursing.
A man's been banned from entering the area covered by Humberside police after being convicted of harecoursing in part of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Harecoursing is when a hare's chased by hounds and often people bet on which one will catch it first.
Michael Johnson from Bishop Auckland was sentenced at Beverley Magistrates court to a two year Criminal behaviour order.
Johnson was stopped along with a second man, Luke Widdowfield of West View Road in Hartlepool, by officers following a report of harecoursing on Lynesykes Road in Kelk near Driffield in October 2015.
Both men were also fined.
Wildlife Officer PC Julie Turrell said:
“This is a very good result and shows that the courts take very seriously the appalling act of harecoursing. I would say to anyone who comes into the Humberside area to commit crimes against wildlife that we are ready to disrupt their activities and when we have evidence we will always prosecute.
“Hare coursers are often engaged in illegal betting involving large sums of money, and would be prepared to use violence if disturbed so if anyone sees hare coursing taking place we would advise them not to approach the criminals, but contact us immediately.
“Calls from the public really do make a difference, it provides important intelligence that helps us coordinate our resources to combat crime more effectively.
“Farm Watch & Country Watch groups now operate throughout all the Humberside Police Area. These groups are the eyes and ears of our rural community. People entering our county will soon been picked up by the groups and text messages circulated regarding their activity.”