HUNTING FOR ANSWERS

The Countryside Alliance Chief Executive examines the Hunting Act's farcical progress:

The Hunting Act was thrown into further confusion today at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on the first day of what was scheduled to be a seven-day trial of the Isle of Wight foxhounds.

Four barristers, two solicitors, four defendants and the District Judge struggled to find a solution to the vexed question of where the burden of evidence of proving “exempt hunting” lies. Eventually, after frantic phonecalls between the court and another District Judge in Bristol, who was scheduled to hear the case against the Devon and Somerset Staghounds next week, no answer was forthcoming and the Isle of Wight trial was adjourned.

It seems that the answer will come not from a Magistrates Court but from the High Court, as both parties in the Devon and Somerset case have agreed to appeal this point of law to a higher court. This will cause a significant delay in all “exempt hunting” cases. The Isle of Wight case has been put back, provisionally, to the beginning of May 2008, and we expect that the Devon and Somerset trial will also be delayed for at least that long.

Meanwhile, we still await the outcome of Exmoor Foxhounds Huntsman Tony Wright’s appeal against his conviction, which may come at the end of next week, and also the ruling of the House of Lords in the Human Rights and European Law case, also due in the near future.

Sometimes it is perfectly acceptable to say “I told you so” and we certainly told Parliament that the Hunting Act was going to cause nothing but chaos and confusion. Whilst it is easy to write this off as simply another chapter in the farce that is the Hunting Act, there are serious points which should not be overlooked: decent people are being dragged through the courts facing criminal charges with no idea where or when the process will be complete. Today alone, over two weeks of court times which were booked for criminal trial will stand empty as a result of this ridiculous law.

Another day, another unanswerable argument in the case for repeal.

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ISLE OF WIGHT MEN PLEAD 'NOT GUILTY'

HORSE & HOUND

Four men connected to the Isle of Wight hunt have pleaded not guilty to charges that they were hunting illegally with dogs.

Huntsman Stuart Trousdale of Gatcombe, falconer Jamie Butcher of Ryde and amateur whipper-in Liam Thom, of Rookley are charged with hunting a fox with dogs. Field master Malcolm Purcell, of Blackwater, is charged with hunting with dogs.

All four appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court in Newport on Monday to answer the charges, which relate to an incident in Shepherds Chine on the Isle of Wight on 29 November last year, when the hunt was using an Eagle Owl.

The prosecution is being brought privately by the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) following a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) not to prosecute. This is the third private prosecution of a hunt by LACS.

Charlotte Fiander of the Countryside Alliance (CA) told H&H: "The Isle of Wight case will test the falconry exemption of the Hunting Act for the first time. We remain committed to helping those charged under the Hunting Act to prove that they were legally hunting within the exemptions laid out under the law.

"The law itself continues to be bathed in confusion and difficult to follow, and the exemptions are extremely unclear."

The case was adjourned for a pre-trial review at the Newport court on 17 September.

MEN PROSECUTED FOR HUNTING WITH DOGS

The Times

Four men denied charges of illegal hunting with dogs during a private prosecution brought by the League Against Cruel Sports.

The defendants are expected to use the defence that they were legally hunting with an eagle owl – the first time that the falconry exemption would be tested in the courts since the Hunting Act came into force in February 2005.

The animal rights group has brought the prosecution at Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed with the case against the four from the island.

Jamie Butcher, of Ryde, Liam Thom, of Rookley, and Stuart Trousdale, of Gatcombe, are all charged with hunting a fox with dogs. Malcolm Purcell, of Blackwater, is charged with hunting with dogs.

The charges relate to an alleged incident on November 29 last year.

The case was adjourned yesterday for a pretrial review at the Newport court on September 17.


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FOUR MEN DENY HUNTING WITH DOGS

BBC Hampshire

Four men from the Isle of Wight have pleaded not guilty to illegally hunting with dogs in a private prosecution brought by an animal welfare group.
Stuart Trousdale, of Gatcombe, Jamie Butcher, of Ryde, and Liam Thom, of Rookley, are charged with hunting a fox with dogs.

Malcolm Purcell, of Blackwater, is charged with hunting with dogs.

They are expected to argue they were using an eagle owl, in the case brought by the League Against Cruel Sports.

It is the first time the falconry exemption would be tested in the courts since the Hunting Act came into force in February 2005.

The League Against Cruel Sports brought the prosecution at Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed with the case against the men.

The charges against Mr Butcher, of Ashey Road, Mr Thom, of Highwood Lane, Mr Trousdale, of The Kennels, and Mr Purcell, of Blackwater Mill Farm, relate to an incident on 29 November, 2006.

The case was adjourned for a pre-trial review at the Newport court on 17 September.

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ISLE OF WIGHT HUNT FACE PRIVATE PROSECUTION BY LACS

Abigail Butcher
Horse & Hound

27 June, 2007The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) has launched a private prosecution against four members of the Isle of Wight hunt following a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) not to prosecute.

This is the third private prosecution of a hunt by LACS and relates to an incident in Shepherds Chine in November 2006.

A CPS spokesman told H&H that all the evidence surrounding the incident was thoroughly reviewed and that the CPS met with LACS.

"Our lawyers have noted that this was a very thorough police investigation, but we dropped the case because we didn't think there was a realistic prospect of conviction," added the spokesman.
Following the conviction of the Quantock Staghounds, LACS spokesman Barry Hughill told H&H there were more prosecutions "in the pipeline" (news, 14 June).

The men are to appear in court on the Isle of Wight on 2 July.

Meanwhile, Tony Wright, the Exmoor Huntsman last year convicted of hunting a wild mammal with dogs (news, 10 August 2006), will appeal against his prosecution in the week of 9 July at Exeter County Court.

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PRIVATE CASE AGAINST HUNT FOUR

Isle of Wight County Press

THE League Against Cruel Sports has taken out a private prosecution against four members of the IW Hunt.

In May, the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed with a prosecution of the same four men, who were arrested at their homes in dawn raids and held in the cells for 15 hours before being released without charge.

Now the League Against Cruel Sports is taking out its own prosecution at the IW Magistrates’ Court over the same alleged incident.

The four men summonsed are Jamie Butcher, of Ashey Road, Ryde; Liam Thom, of Highwood Lane, Rookley, and Stuart Trousdale, of The Kennels, Gatcombe, who are all charged with hunting a fox with dogs and Malcolm Purcell, of Blackwater Mill Farm, Blackwater, who is charged with hunting with dogs, all on November 29, 2006.

The case was adjourned until July 2.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports said it would be the third prosecution it had taken out in the country. He said the other two cases had been won and the defendants fined.

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POLICING THE HUNTING ACT

There was good news from the Isle of Wight on Monday when the four members of the Isle of Wight Hunt, who had been arrested in a series of ludicrously over-dramatic 'dawn raids' last week and questioned about alleged Hunting Act offences, heard that the Crown Prosecution Service had decided that they had no case to answer. Both our Chairman Kate Hoey MP and local MP Andrew Turner had written to the Chief Constable of Hampshire asking some searching questions about why the investigation was handled as it was.

Everyone understands that the Hunting Act is a confusing and unclear law, and that the police might want to ask exactly what hunts are doing, but when everyone connected with the hunt would have voluntarily attended a police station for questioning, the use of large numbers of officers is bound to leave local people with serious questions about policing priorities.

Generally, the policing of the Hunting Act has been so sensible that exceptional incidents like this stand out. Most police forces understand that this sort of heavy handed and wasteful policing, especially when it is based on allegations made by well known animal rights activists, risks sparking a breakdown in the relationship between the police and the rural community, which is exactly what we should all be trying to avoid.

Beginning on Monday in Taunton Magistrates Court, Richard Down and Adrian Pullivant of the Quantock Staghounds face a private prosecution under the Hunting Act brought by the League Against Cruel Sports. This is only the second Hunting Act case to reach the courts following Tony Wright's prosecution last year. Tony's case is being appealed and will be heard in Exeter Crown Court later in the summer. We wish Richard and Adrian all the best and will be reporting from Taunton as the case progresses.

Whatever the outcome, there is one thing we can be confident of: the Hunting Act has failed all the expectations the animal rights movement had for it. The determination of the Countryside Alliance and the hunting community to see the Hunting Act repealed remains undiminished.

Simon Hart

POLICE BEHAVED LIKE NAZIS

Isle of Wight County Press Letters Page
From T. J. R. Sheldon, Kings Manor, Freshwater:

YOU reported (CP 11-05-07) that four people had been arrested on suspicion of illegally hunting a wild animal with dogs.What you may not have known is that eight police officers descended on the homes of the four, at 6.30 in the morning in a manner which we have come to expect of the police when dealing with known terrorists.

This was apparently in connection with an alleged offence on November 29, 2006, approximately six months ago.

This procedure of invading people’s homes to catch them while they are still in bed reminds us of Germany in the 1930s.

The police may wish to treat people who live in the countryside like this but it will backfire on them.

When Yarmouth was invaded one evening last year by 15 yobs who smashed cars and windows the police response was pathetic. No chance of eight police officers turning up to try and protect law-abiding people’s property.

There is only one way to respond for those who live in the countryside. A complete lack of faith in the police can only mean an end to the full-hearted co-operation they currently receive. All charges have now been dropped, taxpayers’ money has been wasted, the four each lost a day’s earnings and decent law-abiding people’s view of the priorities of our police force has been put firmly into perspective.

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MP SLAMS DAWN RAIDS ON HUNT HOMES

Isle of Wight County Press

HEAVY-HANDED treatment by police of huntsmen arrested in dawn raids and kept in police cells for 15 hours before being released without charge has been questioned by Island MP Andrew Turner.

In a letter to Hampshire and IW Chief Constable Paul Kernaghan, Mr Turner said the police actions would seem more appropriate for drug smugglers than for those who, even if found guilty, would only face a fine.

The concern was exacerbated by the fact the alleged offence of illegally hunting a wild animal with dogs, had taken place almost six months previously.

The four men, arrested at 6.30am at their respective homes on May 3, were Liam Thom, a member of the IW Hunt, professional huntsman Stuart Trousdale, falconer Jamie Butcher and Malcolm Purcell, a former master of the hunt and field master on the day the offence was alleged to have taken place, November 29, 2006.

This week the police confirmed the Crown Prosecution Service had decided there should be no prosecutions.In a statement, the police said: “Officers investigating this complaint carried out a full documentary assessment before taking any further action. The circumstances of these arrests were down to operational reasons and to protect the integrity of the interview process.“The time spent in custody appears to be due to the time it took for the nominated legal representative to arrive from London.“Any formal complaint regarding the individuals’ treatment can be made through the appropriate channel, where it would be guaranteed a fair and impartial investigation.”

Mr Turner said he could not discuss matters relating to individual constituents but he did confirm a letter had gone to the chief constable.

However, the CP was given a copy of the letter by Liam Thom, one of the huntsmen who raised the issue with Mr Turner, who accused the police of abusing their authority by imprisoning innocent people in such a way. Mr Thom said: “I was asleep at 6.30am on May 3 when two police constables knocked on the door and arrested me.“I was processed and put into a cell. My Island-based solicitor was unavailable so I had to wait until the early afternoon before I could see a solicitor who had to travel from Tunbridge Wells in Kent. I wasn’t interviewed by the police until 9.30pm.“If the police wanted to discuss matters with me, they could have done so with an appointment so there was no need for a dawn raid, which, apart from being a total over-reaction, must have cost several thousand pounds of public money.”

Mr Trousdale also felt he had been treated in a heavy-handed manner.“I was incarcerated for 15 hours, a fair period of which was waiting for our lawyer. Had we been asked to come in on an appointment basis, we would have had our legal representative there ready,” he said.

In his letter, Mr Turner said when his constituents complained unruly neighbours, low-level crime or anti-social behaviour were making their lives a misery, the constant refrain was the police did not have the resources to attend promptly, let alone to sort out the problems.

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HUNT SUSPECTS RELEASED FOR THREE WEEKS

Isle of Wight News

Four men arrested on suspicion of hunting a wild mammal with dogs have been released on bail without charge by police.

The suspects were questioned at Ryde Police Station after being detained on Thursday morning. Officers are investigating what they describe as an ‘incident’ at Shepherds Chine on the south-west coast of the Island in November last year.

The Countryside Alliance has criticised the arrests as “clumsy and unnecessary.” A 41-year-old from Ryde, a 61-year-old and a 36-year-old from Newport and a 36-year-old from Ventnor are due to report back to police on 24 May.

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FOUR ARRESTED OVER ILLEGAL HUNTING

Isle of Wight County Press

FOUR men were arrested yesterday (Thursday) morning on suspicion of hunting a wild animal using dogs.

A 41-year-old from Ryde, a 61-year-old and a 36-year-old from Newport, and a 36-year-old Ventnor man were arrested, following an incident in Shepherds Chine, near the Military Road, in November last year.

The men were yesterday (Thursday) still in custody.

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ISLE OF WIGHT RAID

Four men arrested on suspicion of hunting
Abigail Butcher, H&H news editor

3 May, 2007

Four men connected with the Isle of Wight hunt have been arrested on suspicion of hunting a wild mammal with dogs.

Police carried out a number of raids, including one on the Isle of Wight hunt kennels at Gatcombe in Newport, at 5am this morning.

Hampshire Police have confirmed to H&H four men are currently being held in custody: a 41-year-old from Ryde, a 61-year-old and 36-year-old from Newport and a 36-year-old from Ventnor.

"This follows an incident in Shepherds Chine, Isle of Wight in November last year," said a police spokesman.

Stephen Lambert, chairman of the Council of Hunting Associations (CHA), told H&H of his "total astonishment" that the police had prioritised this issue to such an extent that they carried out dawn raids.

Alastair Jackson, director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) added: "Clearly, with these sorts of allegations, the police have slightly overreacted."

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