It’s just a shame the penalties aren’t much stiffer. Huntsman John Holliday was present and made no attempt to stop or call off the hounds but dismounted his horse and assaulted a female sab as they tried to save the animal. Facebook. We’ve had some good PR in the press both local and national and this of course has lead to more public support and people inquiring about getting involved. It came from Mark Bycroft, huntsman for the Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent Hill hunt. https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/fighting-the-fitz-injunction/, Our Crowd Justice Funding page can be found here: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/fighting-the-fitz-injunction/. While it may not be illegal for them to be present it is a clear indication of the intent of the hunt and remember, the gamekeepers exemption does not apply if terrier men are attached to a hunt. email nwe.snt@warwickshire.police.uk. Had the Fitzwilliam felt they were in a strong position they would have pushed on regardless. Terrier men were observed hollering to indicate they’d seen a fox, the hounds were in full cry (making a loud baying noise) and hunt staff were nearby with full knowledge and made no attempt to call off the hounds. Find your local group and bung them a few bob. ADDITIONAL: I purposefully didn’t publish this entry until the events of the weekend had come to their conclusion. These events are to raise money for the hunting activities of the Cottesmore hunt, plain and simple. We’ve had a fair amount of contact with Cambridgeshire rural units and they’ve done pretty well by bringing the Fitzwilliam Hunt to court (26th/27th April), and at the very least being impartial and investigating illegal hunting when required. I do know that forces further afield still turn a complete blind eye to illegal hunting and still actively persecute the sabs and monitors in the fields attempting to stop these crimes, perhaps this is due to the story I published here or senior officers are hunters themselves? February 21, 2015. The bird and handler (John Mease – also court next month for hunting act offences and cruelty) are only ever there for show. I’m fairly sure the police will understand this and we would inform our liaison as soon as we knew we would be operating in the county. We spoke about several issues, not just the story I released last week although that of course was the primary reason for his call. I once again pointed out that you can enter private land to prevent a criminal offence and as we had sufficient evidence to suspect this may take place were would go where we pleased. Not Now. The response of the police on the day was appalling to say the least. Clearly Warwickshire police were hugely at fault here for not policing the event even though concerns had been raised well in advance. Closer to home the well known hunt steward who assaulted me (Stuart Morris) finally admitted to the offence and accepted a police caution. Anyone else acting so consistently and blatantly would be dealt with in no uncertain terms regardless of the legislation. Recent post by Page. I spoke to our liaison some time after the incident expecting her to be aware of it and yet it was all news to her. Badger Vigilantes. Wow massive thank … One particularly obnoxious couple even took their toddler to the confrontation, something any normal parent would clearly wish to avoid. Keywords hunt,hunting,foxes,fox hunting,huntsabs,animal welfare,angler, … Most hunts rely on local land owners to allow them to hunt, the Fitzwilliam are one of the few who own a significant amount of land on which to hunt however they still leave this land for a large amount of their hunt season. I think the biggest thing we have learnt is more about ourselves. As normal working people we had no hope of raising the funds necessary to take this to full trial and with the outcome in question there was a real danger of losing what assets we have, had the case not gone our way. Create New Account. South Cambs Hunt Saboteurs. His hunt have also been filmed illegally chasing and killing foxes but have never been prosecuted for this due to the inadequacies of the police and the Hunting Act. Except of course he knew all along the hounds were on a fox. The single biggest factor in favour of the hunt was the level of financial clout they could bring to bear for this undertaking. I was wearing a head cam which was running at the time and the footage has been sent to the police as evidence. Leicestershire have been awful in the past but now have a number of officers trained in matters relating to hunting (Well done to Northants Hunt Sabs who had a big hand in this) but Northants Police still have a way to go although having said that it was nice to know that some of the main protagonists among the thugs have recently been arrested by the Northants force, … Posted: March 22, 2016 in Comment Tags: Countryside Alliance, Fox Hunt, Hares, hunt saboteur, Hunting with Dogs Act 2004, Ian Caffel, Leicestershire Police, Lou Cordiner, Northamptonshire Police, Northants Hunt Sabs, Police Bias, Sharon Roscoe. A hunt is in the area, the only hunt and Bycroft is the huntsman. Sabs were on hand to cover it’s scent but this clear violation of the hunting act gave the police no option but to warn the hunt for hunting illegally. The police also had the bodies of the murdered foxes as evidence. With regard to this he gave me his assurances that there was no conflict of interest and although Tracey had in fact ridden with the Oakley in the past she hadn’t done so for many years and that he took the time to look into her activities to the point where he was satisfied she could continue in her post. The whole day really was like pre ban hunting. Members of Leicestershire Police, including former wildlife crime officer Sharon Roscoe, are known to ride with the Belvoir and we hope this doesn’t influence any investigation. 31st August Bank holiday Monday 2020. The helicopter … That’s enough to make even the most financially wealthy hunt think seriously about taking out similar action and this is what we wanted to achieve. Gloucestershire Badger Office. Cottesmore Hunt. Sabs are on the scene moments later and witness the kill and record footage. https://www.facebook.com/warwickshirepolice/?fref=ts. He was subsequently arrested and is now on bail pending further inquiries. Sorry! Our protests cover the Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Daventry And Brackley area, as well as parts of Leicestershire. Typically Tubbs showed once again what cowards they really are. The officers were utterly uninterested in hearing our complaints and sided instantly with those who had committed the crime even though they didn’t know the full story. OK, so assuming you know what’s been occurring I’ll fill you in on the rest of the details. They were implicated in keeping captive foxes, then viciously assaulting those who had exposed them. Finally it’s great to see at least one hunt brought to justice. If Bycroft wasn’t there what the hell was he doing? Log In. I’m fairly certain for them to be laying a trail the rag would have to be on the ground and some distance in front of the hounds. It’s amazing how fast some people can … I guess we all know the real reason. At present this site does not support non-frames browsers. Forgot account? From a sabbing point of view the season has been a bit up and down although we can comfortably say we’ve made a big difference. Sabs up and down the country never stop saving wildlife. This could have resulted in a very serious injury, it was very close to her eye but luckily she receive nothing more than a sore red lump. The master galloped off in huff with sabs in tow. Accessibility help. Now while they are pushing ahead with the persons unknown part of the injunction it is still a civil action and not something the police can get involved with. He agreed that there is no place for violent behaviour and public safety is their primary concern so we hope that these morons can be caged somewhat and we can go about our business without concern. West Kent Hunt Sabs. Clearly there is work to be done here and as it stands we’ve withdrawn all contact until our meeting but for the time being we’ll continue down this path for as long as it takes to get these one sided attitudes changed. Although we reached our original funding target (huge thanks to all who donated so far) our costs are still rising so I’d encourage you to keep sharing and tweeting our link, we’re going to need every penny and this may not be the end of it. The officers by this time were looking somewhat overwhelmed and stated to all present, “We’re only here for public order”. It is perhaps fortunate that the Leicestershire PCC was also present on the day to insist that this latest law breaking by the Belvoir is not brushed under the carpet.”. Their actual hunt country is in the region of 384,000 acres, they only actually own just over 4% of that. Log In. or. One of our own escorting the shambolic Oakley. This wasn’t the only incident last weekend. His outrageous claims were in response to the horrific video published by North Downs and Guildford Sabs of a fox the hunt had killed south of Chiddingstone last Saturday (3/12). The vehicles owned by the people responsible were parked in the hunt kennels! We are truly are overwhelmed by the support we have received so once again a huge thanks to everyone. Northants sabs hit the criminal Cottesmore hunt for their latest fundraiser. 1. Lets hope this is a concerted and lasting effort to change and not just a knee jerk reaction to public opinion. Peter White was the terrier man and supposed trail layer for the hunt and was convicted purely for this basis proving once again if a hunt has terrier men then there is the intent to hunt a wild mammal. There has been a review in Scotland recently on their hunting laws and I remain hopeful that progress will be made there. We’ve tried a new direction this year and it’s certainly been an interesting experience but whether it turns out to be a success or not still remains to be seen. or. 283 talking about this. First one was the fox which passed close to us followed by the hound about a minute behind. The Countryside Alliance may bang on every year about record crowds at hunts but the facts are somewhat different. Create New Account. Lee Moon from the HSA again; “2016 has shown the world exactly what the Belvoir hunt are like. These were the words of someone covering their own arse. With our help the police were able to identify that the hunt was clearly hunting illegally and while not able to prosecute they didn’t impede us while we operated. Secondly, their claims for harassment, trespass against goods and the utterly laughable claims of assault were denied by the judge. Long may it continue. I know Cambridgeshire police have been contacting the hunts in their areas regarding the employment of these neanderthals (to be honest that does neanderthals a disservice) and I urge all other forces who are graced with their presence to do the same and if they still appear then the use of the Section 35 would clearly by justified. We were assigned a liaison officer with whom I met and discussed the way forward and we have continued to keep a regular dialogue. It’s certainly no time to introduce someone new to the game where cool heads and experience are required. There can be only one final outcome, it’s just a matter of time. Of course to use this loophole the bird of prey has to be in a position to hunt the flushed animal and as usual this is simply never the case. For their part the police seemed to be improving and took illegal hunting more seriously as well as the threat to our safety from the moronic half wits who act as the hunts personal security force. I’ve just have quite a long and frank discussion with the Chief Inspector for Rural Policing in Bedfordshire north. Another interesting incident was the police actually witnessing a fox being chased. Support LUSH for helping sabs … Please direct all complaints / questions to the following: Warwickshire Police Pages liked by this Page. As a group we have our own intelligence network and rely on informants within the hunting community passing on meet information or simply local people who have had enough of hunt riding roughshod over them. Surely if an incident took place involving us the first person to be informed would be our liaison officer? Our attentions have reduced the Oakley to a pathetic shambles, more often that not with only a handful of riders and a huntsman who can’t control the hounds. The initial hearing at the High Court in London was last Thursday (1st November) and we were originally informed by the judge that his decision would be this week. Police vehicle parked in the Oakley Hunt kennels. The simple fact is trails don’t go underground or down badger setts. Not Now. Mark has convictions for assaulting anyone who gets in the way of his blood lust and is a serial fox killer, not exactly the sort of person you’d describe as a reliable witness. The same process should be followed in England and Wales however the big difference here is we have a pro-hunt Government and an Environment Secretary who wants to repeal the act. See more of Northants Hunt Saboteurs on Facebook. They use hunting horns and play recordings and try to disrupt the hounds. The legitimacy of their evidence and in particular their hunting methods had been seriously called into question by Mr Justice Freedman, along with the behaviour of their so called hunt stewards. With over 50 sabs arriving at the meet the hunt tried to put a brave face on things and claimed that due to the fog they wouldn’t be hunting that day, which was odd as all the other hunts in the midlands were out in the same weather. He said; “I understand they found a dead fox in the wood but I wasn’t there at the time so I don’t know what has happened. While graphic images of hunts killing and their supporters acting like yobs continue to be plastered all over social media and the mainstream press there can realistically only be one outcome. Solidarity with the Northants sab who was attacked and seriously injured by the Pytchley with woodland hunt #ahab. Pages Liked by This Page. The Fitzwilliam use the Bird of Prey Exemption and I’ve written about this before at length (see here) but also by using this exemption they are admitting to hunting a live quarry. The huntsman (Simon Hunter) shouted at us, “Why didn’t you stop them?” of course we held them up as best we could and indeed believe it gave fox enough time to find cover and escape however these weren’t the words of a man concerned with the welfare of the fox the hounds were ‘accidentally’ after. It goes to show the level of support the British public have for our cause and the universal disgust and blood sports in … Sabs from Northants Hunt Sabs witnessed a fox being chased and brutally killed in a farmyard near Scalford Hall. Multiple complaints to Just Giving informing them of a breach of funding rules resulted in the company pulling the page and refunding all the donations that had been made up to that date. Please consider helping by donating here: Financial Costs. Speaking of the police it would seem that the Northants force has some way to go to understand the Hunting Act. While I don’t believe there is paradigm shift just yet I do believe as Winston Churchill once said: “This isn’t the beginning of the end, but it’s certainly the end of the beginning”. A group from Staffordshire stopping the hunts in Staffordshire and surrounding areas. We all know they are nothing more than thugs and bullies who enjoy violence and the hunts give them a small amount of justification to vent their violent tendencies. With regards to policing hunts themselves he reaffirmed the impartiality and the need to recognise what was legal and illegal hunting. Of course not all forces as the same. Sabs from Northants Hunt Sabs witnessed a fox being chased and brutally killed in a farmyard near Scalford Hall. The fact the hunt denied all knowledge of the people involved speaks volumes about the obvious lies they are prepared to tell to cover their own arses. Leicestershire have been awful in the past but now have a number of officers trained in matters relating to hunting (Well done to Northants Hunt Sabs who had a big hand in this) but Northants Police still have a way to go although having said that it was nice to know that some of the main protagonists among the thugs have recently been arrested by the Northants force, some for the second time and after searches of their houses alleged stolen property seized. Their only desire is to save the hunted animal and they did their very best however they’re hardly likely to act in a way which would scupper their primary aims. or. Cottesmore Hunt. No doubt a fine and some points will be following shortly. They hunted several foxes and came very close indeed to killing at least two. Interestingly the video evidence of them killing the fox was shot by a bird watcher who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Simply put, there was no way I, or any of the others were going to lose their houses over this. In discussion with the police afterwards it would seem many have had their eyes opened somewhat and although they considered it a successful operation I believe there is more work to be done with regards to the safety of those exercising their legal right to monitor hunts. It was pleasing to note that the Wildlife Crime Officer … We are a group of hunt sabs based in Northants. The Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent are a bunch of rural law breakers who think they are above the laws of the land. District Judge Timothy Spruce said: “There is good and compelling evidence that the hunt was aware of the fox, but it appears there is no evidence that hounds were directed away.”. It would seem they’ve had quite a few complaints regarding the story I published here, so thanks to everyone that took the time to do so. Sorry! It transpires the driver was so keen to get some pictures on his phone of our colleagues he completely forgot about keeping his car on the road with the predictable results. When officers finally arrived after multiple calls they were as expected not interested in any hunting offences. Any hunt which employs a terrier man or men, with terriers and spades is hunting illegally. SABS 'R' US. All of the named defendants were of course hugely grateful to all the people who donated, some who shall remain nameless pledging some significant sums but having the funds to fight this was only half the story and no reduction in the final risk of having costs awarded against us. We’re fairly certain without our presence the mortality rate would have been high and when you consider this is the same hunt in court next month you begin to understand their arrogance and belief they can do what they like. The day itself was fairly tough. If you’re not fully up to date then you can catch up here and here. I’ve heard some far fetched excuses in my time but this one has to take the biscuit. Update 2 North Cambs, Beds & Bucks, Northants Hunt Sabs Oct. 22, 2018. In due course I’ll release these details. Maybe some jail time if proved guilty would be more of a deterrent in the future. They are clearly rattled and uncomfortable at having the police around and not working their behest. Log In. Northants sabs were again at the Cottesmores latest ‘fun ride’ event just south of Brooke in Rutland. Like everything in life we have good and bad days but even on the bad days we’ve saved lives and that’s what really counts.