Rural crime 2024: convicting hare coursers

Two years ago, the law on hare coursing was amended for the first time since the introduction of the Hunting Act 2004. This legislative change followed an extensive campaign by the CLA.

The changes enacted by the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Act 2022 created two new offences – the first of trespass with the intention of using a dog to search for or pursue a hare, and the second of being equipped to trespass with the intention of using a dog to search for or pursue a hare.

In addition, the legislation now carries a penalty for trespassing in pursuit of game under the Game Acts (Game Act 1831 and Night Poaching Act 1928), an unlimited fine and/or six months imprisonment. Furthermore, the legislation also gives courts two new powers - the ability to recoup kennelling costs incurred by police forces between arrests, and the ability to make an order disqualifying the guilty party from owning or keeping a dog if convicted.

There were high hopes that these law changes would act as a deterrent to offenders, but it’s only recently that we can observe cases where increased penalties and punishments are being given to those convicted of hare poaching offences.

Lincolnshire police have had some notable successes in recent months. On 9 September 2024, Albert Eastwood pleaded guilty to the new offence of going equipped to trespass with the intention of using a dog to search for or pursue a hare. He was ordered to pay fines and kennelling costs totalling more than £12,000. On top of this, he was banned from keeping dogs for 15 years and was handed a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order which prevents him from entering the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire with dogs and coursing equipment during the hare coursing season.

A subsequent case saw Samuel Sheady Senior, Samuel Sheady Junior and Jason Davis plead guilty to going equipped to trespass with the intention of using a dog to search for or pursue a hare.

Each man was sentenced to pay kennelling costs of £15,900 each, totalling £47,700. In addition, each offender had to pay fines, costs and a victim surcharge of between £1,480 and £1,550. The dogs were forfeited along with the seized cash, a vehicle and equipment used in committing the offence including night vision goggles. On top of this, the trio were handed twelve-month driving bans and a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order banning them from land in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire with a sight hound or lurcher during the recognised hare coursing season.

These recent sanctions handed out to offenders are in stark contrast to CLA research into fines before the law changed. This looked at 111 cases of offenders either pleading guilty or being found guilty at court. The average financial penalty of fines and costs in this period was just £361.95.

It’s hard to tell whether the drop in reported incidents of hare coursing are due to the risk of severe penalties or whether other factors such as the wet weather and proactive policing are also coming into play. However, we remain hopeful that the legislative changes are another step towards stopping this scourge on rural areas.