CONVICTED AVON VALE HUNT MEMBERS. INFORMATION FROM THE HUNT SABOTEURS

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Fox thrown to hounds - another Avon Vale Hunt member sentenced But yet another lenient sentence given to an animal abuser CHARLIE MOORES MAR 27   READ IN APP   A terrierman who was working for the now disbanded Avon Vale Hunt when he 'supervised' a live fox being thrown to a pack of hounds in December 2020 has been sentenced. 38-year-old Thomas Ledbury pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting another to commit an offence, namely unnecessary suffering to a fox. Ledbury, who lives in Corsham, Wiltshire, was filmed on a mobile phone watching another person remove a fox from a badger sett before throwing it to a group of dogs. The group were accompanied by a young child during the incident near Melksham on December 24, 2020. As so often in these cases, the punishment was wholly inadequate. Ledbury was sentenced at Swindon Magistrates' Court on 18 March to a 12-month community order with a requirement to undertake 240 hours of unpaid work. Incident recorded by cheering hunt support Footage of the incident that Ledbury took part in went around the world. It fatally undermined the 'trail hunting' narrative that pro-hunt lobbyists had spent years trying to create. Taken on 20 December 2022 by Harry Mayo, a member of the hunt, and subsequently leaked, it was graphic and shocking. It showed whipper-in Aaron Fookes kneeling down over the entrance of a badger sett with his arms down into it and pulling out a live fox. The then-hunt master Stuart Radbourne could be heard "making whooping noises" before the fox was thrown to the hunt's hounds and killed. Ledbury can be clearly identified standing to one side enabling the offence to take place. Upgrade to paid In July last year, Fookes (on the left in the image below) was charged with fox hunting and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. He was handed an 18-month community order for animal cruelty and told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. For the fox hunting offence he was fined £833 and told to pay £42.50 costs and a £330 victim surcharge. Radbourne (on the right) pleaded guilty to “being jointly concerned with others in causing unnecessary suffering to a fox by causing it to be thrown to and savaged by hounds”. He received a suspended 18-week custodial sentence, fined £384, and told to pay £42.50 costs and a £154 surcharge. He was subsequently charged again in October with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and received an 18-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months. Solicitor Sam Harkness (who apparently specialises in ‘animal welfare’ and ‘Hunting Act’ cases and defended terriermen Robert Mills and Jack Mills in a horrific cruelty case), represented both men and said at the time that press coverage of the incident has “utterly destroyed the lives of the defendants”. Fookes subsequently left the country because of threats made to him and now works as an agricultural contractor, whilst Radbourne was reported to be "struggling with significant debts” and working as a farmer and equestrian. Few of us will be weeping tears on their behalf… Oliver Thompson, who was also present on the day of the dig out, was previously found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a fox following trial and sentenced to a 20-week suspended prison sentence. Thomson was also convicted when footage he shared of him tormenting a young fox in a trap, with his dog Nellie being encouraged to bark and menace the animal at very close quarters, was leaked. Radbourne and the Avon Vale Hunt are serial offenders. He had previously pleaded guilty in 2013 to interfering with a badger sett. He was also charged under the Hunting Act, along with four other Avon Vale members, including disgraced Wiltshire councillor and ex-Avon Vale hunt master Jonathon Seed. In that incident, Radbourne was seen “waist-deep” in dirt. The prosecutor at the time said: “There had been considerable interference with the sett, digging and filling in the entrances. In total there were 15 entrances to the sett, 11 of which had been blocked. RSPCA Inspector Ian Burns, who turned up at the site, described it as ‘the worst find he has ever witnesses in his 25 years of being an inspector’.” Upgrade to paid A disgraced - and disgraceful - hunt Hunting's so-called ‘governing body’, the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA), was forced by public pressure to permanently expel the Avon Valefollowing the airing of the damning footage. The Hunt disbanded but it’s still unclear whether its members joined other local hunts such as the Beaufort or the notorious Mendip Farmers, which is supported and hosted by Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg and his family. Multiple sources suggested at the time that the Hunt's hounds were handed over to Radbourne who kept them at his equestrian centre in Bromham, just a few miles from where the dig out and all that cruelty took place. Wiltshire Hunt Sabs, who invested years in documenting the crimes of the Avon Vale Hunt, described them as “the most violent and prolific fox hunt”. Following the public announcement that the BHSA had expelled the Avon Vale Hunt, the sabs said: “May their arrogance in sharing and boasting about their disgusting double kill be the ultimate downfall of all “trail” hunting. “RIP to those two beautiful innocent foxes, and to all the Wiltshire wildlife that has suffered as a result of these disgusting people for decades.” None of these men should be at large. They are a very real danger to wildlife. It’s shameful that our judiciary appears not to recognise that fact and is repeatedly giving serial offenders suspended sentences. BREAKING: Wiltshire Hunt Sabs are claiming in a series of tweets that Ledbury is currently employed by Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) as a contractor repairing street and park furniture. His multi-year contract (which runs until April 2025) is worth a staggering £270,000. If readers would like to suggest to BANES that Ledbury’s contract should be terminated in light of his conviction, tweet them at @bathnes and/or email Patricia_Okowa@BATHNES.GOV.UK Support those on the ground While the Avon Vale no longer ceases to exist as a registered pack, its former members are still free to terrorise wildlife in the southwest with other hunts. As usual monitors and hunt saboteurs have been out in force this season to prevent ‘hunters’ from killing more foxes. Donate to Wiltshire Hunt Sabs here. Donate to Bath Hunt Sabs here.   LIKE COMMENT RESTACK   © 2024 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ  Unsubscribe

FROM THE HUNT SABOTEURS AND THE WORK THEY DO

 

View this email in your browser Hi,  Hunting Season 2023-24: A Brief Review A piece like this can never do justice to the week-in, week-out efforts of sabs who venture out in all weathers to face down the hunters. We can’t cover, for example, the 58 hunt meets that Nottingham sabs have attended this season, nor the 55 times Salisbury Plain sabs went out to protect the wildlife of their beloved Plain. What we can do is focus on just a few highlights from the last full hunting season before a much-anticipated General Election. Hunt sabs catching up with the news. © EYC Hunt Sabs And the season certainly got off to a strong start with Scotland’s Hunting with Dogs Act finally becoming law! This replaced the deeply flawed Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 and closed the loopholes which had allowed hunts to continue to kill wildlife. The Scottish government wisely included a ban on so-called “trail hunting” to ensure that this smokescreen for illegal hunting cannot take hold in Scotland, as it has in England. While most Scottish fox hunts have now folded or converted to drag hunting, Glasgow sabs and friends have trained their fire on the Jed Forest Hunt who are stupidly trying to carry on killing under the new law. Scottish sabs celebrate in style! © Glasgow Hunt Sabs Similar amendments are desperately needed in England. This fact was reinforced following a series of coordinated police raids at hunt kennels, which meant that the criminality of fox hunters has rarely been out of the news this season. From Kent to Berkshire to Wiltshire, hunters have been convicted of a litany of stomach-churning crimes - throwing live foxes to hounds, using terriers to torture young foxes, and even supergluing the open wounds of terriers that had been forced to fight badgers. Three days before the pageantry of the Boxing Day meets, the HSA highlighted this cruelty by releasing previously unseen footage of Avon Vale Hunt staff members whooping with delight as they dug a fox from her earth and threw her to the frenzied pack. Avon Vale dig out: the cruelty behind the pageantry. Just a few days after Boxing Day, Leicestershire’s Cottesmore Hunt became the latest pack to imagine they could deter sabs by using “stewards”. Their particularly vicious gang of drug-addled thugs launched repeated hammer attacks on sabs and their vehicles - often in full view of the police!  Needless to say, courageous Northants sabs stood firm in the face of this intimidation and were rewarded with the sight of the Cottesmore Cokeheads finally getting nicked at the end of the season. The face of the Cottesmore Hunt, 2024. The Oakley Hunt are another pack who have resorted to violence against sabs on many occasions. This could not stop them bowing to the inevitable this season: after a decade of attritional sabbing by Beds & Bucks Hunt Sabs, the Oakley have finally thrown in the towel and disbanded. Result! East and West Kent sabs have pulled off a similarly spectacular feat, reducing the four once-powerful fox hunts on their turf to a single, incompetent outfit imaginatively named the ‘Kent Hounds’. As the sole target for the highly-experienced Kent sab groups, you have to wonder how long they will last. The sun sets on the Oakley Hunt. There’s been great success, too, for Cumbria and Lancaster sabs who deal with the seven notorious fell packs of Lakeland. Despite the challenging mountain terrain, this season must count as one of their best, with almost all the fell packs being sabbed several times over. These hunts used to have an intimidatory iron grip on local Lakeland communities and could trespass at will. Not anymore - sabs are now inundated with information from local people no longer afraid to speak out against these criminal gangs. Sabs stop murder in the mountains. © Lancashire Hunt Sabs Away from the fox hunts, the beagle and basset packs - who hunt hares on foot - have continued to see sabs on a regular basis, despite being more secretive than your average gang of badger baiters. These packs are feeling the pressure as never before, with the Leadon Vale Bassets and the Ecclesfield Beagles both disbanding this season. Catching up with the Catterick Beagles. © Calder Valley Hunt Sabs The stag hunting packs of Devon and Somerset are also feeling the heat. Following decades of sab-free hunting, they are now into a third year of sustained anti attention. After a couple of vicious pre-planned ambushes failed to deter brave North Dorset and Mendip sabs - and led to the arrest of perpetrators on serious charges - the stag hunters are having to accept that sabs are here to stay. Sabs continue to take on the stag hunters. © North Dorset Hunt Sabs Away from the killing fields, the HSA has worked with Channel 4 News to bring the horrific reality of “trail hunting” into the nation’s living rooms. Channel 4 aired footage of foxes being thrown to hounds, reported on North Dorset Hunt Sab’s inspirational work against the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt, and highlighted West Mids Hunt Sab’s relentless campaign to expose the disturbing secret “protocol” drawn up between the Warwickshire Hunt and the police. Having backed themselves into an indefensible corner, the police have now dropped the protocol - a clear victory for West Mids Hunt Sabs. These broadcasts were also notable for the comments of Chief Superintendent Matt Longman - the lead police officer on Fox Hunting Crime in the UK - who said that drones and other technology used by sabs had “lifted the lid on what is fast becoming possibly one of the most farcical eras in criminal justice history, because hunts are still offending. We are seeing it regularly.” Channel 4 News expose the criminality of the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt. Towards the end of the season, naturalist Chris Packham gave sabs a massive morale boost by joining them on the Mendip Farmers Hunt. This was an act of both solidarity and personal courage: Chris, like many sabs, has had his home attacked by hunting extremists on several occasions. Predictably enough, the hunters singled Chris out for abuse and threats; equally predictably, Chris refused to be intimidated. Top work: Chris discusses tactics with a local sab. © Wiltshire Hunt Sabs All in all, it’s been a very positive season with the hunters repeatedly showing themselves up as the Organised Crime Groups that they are. As we count down to a crucial General Election for the issue of hunting, the HSA and hunt saboteurs everywhere will continue to highlight the widespread cruelty and illegality of “one of the most farcical eras in criminal justice history.” Get involved! Find out how you can be part of our campaign to strengthen the Hunting Act Take Action Spread the word! Please share our news Share via email Copyright (C) 2024 Hunt Saboteurs Association. All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Hunt Saboteurs Association. Our mailing address is: BM HSA, London, WC1N 3XX, U.K. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

AN UPDATE ON BADGERS BY WILD JUSTICE

Good morning!   A week ago we sent out a newsletter which contained an item on a proposed increase in Badger culling in some parts of England. We told you that there was a consultation on this measure by Defra and that we would be equipping you with information on ways to respond. We will do that.   However, we were already in contact with our legal team in Leigh Day and our friends in the Badger Trust about the shockingly poor consultation paper provided by Defra.    We, Wild Justice and the Badger Trust, instructed Leigh Day to write to Defra and that letter was sent on Friday. A copy of that letter and a statement by Badger Trust and Wild Justice can be found on our blog -  click here.   That letter contains the following passage; 'Our clients are keen to respond to the above consultation and will do so as best they can by the published deadline. However, the materials published in and alongside the consultation do not contain sufficient information about what is proposed and the basis on which it has been put forward to allow consultees to provide an intelligible response on some material points. They have therefore instructed us to write to you now to identify omissions in the consultation materials and request that you urgently publish the missing information and allow consultees (not just our clients) sufficient time to respond to any additional information. Unless those steps are taken, our clients consider that a decision to proceed with the proposal taken on the basis of this consultation would be unlawful.'.         Wild Justice depends on donations to carry out our work, including taking costly legal cases. Please consider making a donation through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post - see details here.   Thank you!         Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).     This is the 182nd Wild Justice newsletter.   This email was sent to you because you subscribed to it through the Wild Justice website or through an e-action where you ticked a box.  Thank you. We will only use your personal details to send you the Wild Justice newsletter. We will not give or sell your details to anyone else.  You can unsubscribe at any time: there is an unsubscribe button at the foot of this email or you can reply to this email and ask us to remove you from the list (the former will happen immediately, the latter might take a few days).

 

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