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Blood sport charges: judge's
verdict due
THE judge in the trial of two men accused of hosting hare coursing events has retired to consider her verdict.
Retired champion horse trainer Peter Easterby, 79, of Great Habton near Malton and Major John Shaw, 56, of Welburn near Kirkbymoor-side, both deny attending and permitting the use of their land for hare coursing events in March 2007.
Their trial at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court concluded yesterday, but due to ambiguity surrounding the phrasing of the Hunting Act, the pair must wait until this afternoon to hear whether they will be convicted by District Judge Christina Harrison.
The case is only the second of its kind ever to be heard since the introduction of the Hunting Act in 2005, which bans hare coursing.
Shaw and Easterby, who is a champion jumps trainer and was charged under his birth name of Miles, both claim the events on their land were dog trialing events, organised by the Yorkshire Greyhound Field Trialing Club.
However, Matthew Donkin, prosecuting, said the activity during the events mirrored that of hare coursing. He said: “This ‘field trialing’ as it is labelled now is simply a guise for what really is hare coursing.”
Previously the judge had heard evidence from the chairman of the Yorkshire Greyhound Field Trialing Club, claiming he had sought legal advice before organising the events to ensure they complied with the Hunting Act.
Defending, David Hatton QC claimed that not only does the Hunting Act not directly define the activities in March 2007 as hare coursing, he also said that both Easterby and Shaw believed the activities to be legal.
He said: “Neither Mr Shaw or Mr Easterby had any knowledge of the unlawful activity, should it be found to be unlawful. They did not give permission for a hare coursing event on their land, nor did they attend a hare coursing event to their knowledge.”
The case was brought forward after undercover animal welfare activists filmed the events on a camera fitted to a pair of binoculars.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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