Two men who admitted allowing hares to roam on farmland in Lincolnshire have been fined and given 10-year bans, as courts and police step up their efforts to tackle rural and wildlife crime.
William Finney, 48, and Gavin Lee, 54, appeared at Lincoln Magistrates Court on Thursday, January 22, where they pleaded guilty to using dogs to hunt wild mammals contrary to the Hunting Act 2004.
These crimes related to an incident on December 11, 2024, when police received a report of a suspected rabbit roaming in the Dog Dyke area.
Officers were called after a man was seen crossing farmland with a greyhound and another person was observed carrying a shotgun.
Police searched the area and found two dead rabbits. Both men claimed the animal had been shot, but later X-rays and post-mortem examinations revealed that this was not the case.
Finney and Lee returned to Lincoln Magistrates Court for sentencing the next day.
The court imposed separate financial penalties on the two. Finney was fined a total of £3,885, including kennel costs, and Lee was fined a total of £725.
Items used during the crime were also seized and ordered forfeited by the court. These included two cell phones, a dog, a dog collar, two dog leashes, a shotgun, a thermal imager, and four shotgun cartridges.
Both men were also given 10-year criminal behavior orders, which impose strict conditions on their future activities and significantly restrict their involvement with dogs and hunting-related equipment.
Police warned that firearms and shotgun certificate holders who are involved in criminal activity may have their licenses revoked, adding that officers will always seek to revoke certificates if a crime is proven.
Free-ranging hares are a persistent problem in rural areas and are often associated with criminal damage, intimidation of landowners and widespread organized criminal activity. Police in the area have identified this as a priority area for enforcement.
The sentencing comes amid an increased police response to wildlife crime, with officers recently intercepting more than 50 poachers and suspected hare trappers during a major weekend operation in Cambridgeshire, which involved the use of drones, air support and barricades.
Police said they would continue to use specialist resources and court orders to disrupt hare pursuits, protect wildlife and reassure rural communities.
