Wigan dog owner guilty of blood sport crimes
A Wigan dog owner has been punished by the courts for a series of offences relating to the banned blood sport of hare coursing.
James Kent was handed Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) at Lancaster Magistrates Court on Tuesday July 1 which will last for five years and states that he must not trespass on any land in Lancashire in custody of a lurcher type dog.
He was also issued with a community order to complete 80 hours of unpaid work within 12 months and ordered to forfeit the vehicle used during the offence: a Nissan X Trail.
The 40-year-old of Crankwood Road in Abram had denied charges against him but, after a trial, was found guilty of eight offences: two counts of hunting a wild mammal with dogs, two counts of trespass with intent to search for or pursue hares with dogs, two counts of being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs and two counts of daytime trespass in pursuit of game.
An investigation into Kent began after police received reports of hare coursing on the land off Whiteley’s Lane in Ormskirk on Christmas Day last year and on January 26 this year, whereby lurcher type dogs were being allowed to kill wild hares.
As a result, Lancashire Constabulary’s South Rural Task Force launched an investigation and Kent was subsequently charged with eight offences.
PC Sean Dalby from the South Rural Task Force said: “Hare coursing and poaching can be extremely distressing for our community.
"Offenders travel around the country committing cruel acts towards our wildlife and wreaking havoc on our rural communities, trespassing on land, damaging crops and property, and subjecting farmers and landowners to threats of violence and intimidation when challenged.
“Kent has shown absolutely no regard for animals’ rights to live peacefully in the wild.
"Instead, he allowed his dogs to cruelly maim and kill hares.
"I hope that this result shows those who commit these types of offences that we have a dedicated team of officers, and we will find you.”
Hare coursing was legal up until 2005. In fact West Lancashire famously used to host the Waterloo Cup at Altcar for 179 years.
But the blood sport was banned in the UK by the 2004 Hunting Act. Hare coursing is now outlawed in most European countries.