Another Hunting Act Case Collapses

[RubyTex 1,957]

Just got this e-mail from the CA

 

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This week brought more good news from the courts when the Hunting Act prosecution against the joint-master and huntsman of the Weston and Banwell Harriers, George Milton, was thrown out by Magistrates in Taunton.

They ruled not just that George Milton was not guilty, but that he had "no case to answer" and that no jury could reasonably convict him having heard the prosecution evidence.

That evidence was supplied by League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) employee Graham Floyd, but it became clear in court that Mr Floyd had not been close enough to have identified Mr Milton, saw no fox until 25 minutes after he claimed to have seen the defendant and that Mr Milton was 1km away at the time of the alleged offence.

Whilst the result was the right one there remain questions about how this case ever got to court; the impact of such prosecutions on defendants should not be underestimated.

The last time LACS employees actually gathered evidence from a hunt that lead to a Hunting Act conviction was in January 2010. Since that time LACS has spent over £2 million of charitable donations on 'investigations'; more than £600,000 in 2010 and £700,000 in 2011 according to its most recent accounts.

In October 2011, LACS chief executive Joe Duckworth also announced that the charity would spend £1m more over the next four years training eight former police officers and employing them as investigators. You may also have seen that just last month LACS announced that it intends to pay for surveillance of hunts by unmanned 'drones'.

Yet for all the intrusive surveillance and spurious allegations there has not been a single successful Hunting Act prosecution as a result of LACS' activity in the past two hunting seasons.

It is simply not possible to argue on the basis of a history of groundless allegations and failed prosecutions that LACS' operations are a proportionate and justifiable response to actual incidents worthy of investigation.

Blinded by it bigotry LACS claims that everything it does is justifiable, but to those who live in the real world it is clearly not. The public has no time for such arguments and LACS membership and income is dwindling. Over the last few years LACS has papered over the cracks by selling land worth £2 million in the Westcountry and unfortunately it seems likely that the offensive and unjustified surveillance operations, which failed again last week, will continue in the short term until the money runs out completely.

Barney White-Spunner
Executive Chairman

 

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Antis making stuff up?? Nahhhhhhh

[gonetoearth 5,144]

Barny spunner ex army chief of staff good. Egg.

[whippet 99 2,613]

i know george ,.....he seems a good old boy,......great result.......

[BIG G wheton machine 1,594]

what worries me more is how these anti CHARITIES can openly admit that they:ll be spying on people on private land invading theyre privacy and promoting acts or terrorism and getting away with it unchallenged by the law? maybe the next judge that throws the next unjustified waste of innocent men and womens time should maybe mention that to the newspapers

[scroat 62]

carl bridgewater case.all police will kipper you for a result say f/all to you are talking to your brief.

[sussex 5,803]

The donations will continue to fall & they will end up as bankrupt as there ideas ,,,,,

[paulus 26]

why the police and courts take any notice of lacs and the rspca is beyond me they are charities nothing more nothing less, the law of this country is upheld by the police force, that is what we the tax payers fund them for. these vigilantes posing as charitys need to brought back dowm to earth, they are not the animal police or the forth emergency service they are charities.

[baw 4,360]

I think its safe to say since the ban these anti charities have suffered both financially and publicly. that old saying watch what you wish for, you might just get it, is evident with these clowns and the arsepca. I give them 5 years and the public will turn on them. Its not about animal welfare anymore, they can't hide behind that since the ban, its all about vengeance like we always knew it was and now they are getting shown up for just that.

[The one 8,592]

Nice to see there having to sell some land as well

[Matt 160]

Nice to see there having to sell some land as well

 

They've always done that. They usually put a covenant on any land they sell preventing any field sports from taking place on it in future.