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TV chef speaks out after court case
A TV chef who was convicted at Scarborough Magistrates' Court of attending an illegal hare coursing event has spoken out about the matter.
Clarissa Dickson Wright, who found fame on cookery show Two Fat Ladies, was given an absolute discharge and was not ordered to pay any costs.
Miss Dickson Wright, 62, of Midlothian, Scotland, and racehorse trainer Sir Mark Prescott, of Newmarket, Suffolk, were charged with offences under the Hunting Act 2004.
They were both due to appear before magistrates, having previously pleaded not guilty, but both changed their pleas to guilty ahead of the trial and did not attend court.
When asked by a journalist from the Daily Telegraph whether she had wanted to play the martyr, she said: “I don’t think an absolute discharge counts as martyrdom, my dear. But I would gladly go to prison for my convictions. It would be nice and peaceful and I could write a prison cookbook.”
And when it was suggested to her that the pest-control argument does not hold true for hare-coursing and it just seems to be about pleasure, she replied: “Oh dearie me, what a puritan you must be. But they do need controlling, actually. Bear in mind that a hare eats 40lbs of vegetation a week.
“Death in the countryside is different to death in the town; it is part of the way of life.
“Farmers love and care for their livestock, then send them off for slaughter. All field-sports people are doing is turning an inevitable necessity into a pleasure.
“If the animal is going to be killed anyway, why not take pleasure in it? But I can see that is a matter of personal choice.”
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Weather for Scarborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 10 C to 15 C
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