Men convicted of hunting deer and hares with dogs

Two men have been sentenced for using dogs to illegally hunt deer and hares. 

Derbyshire Police arrested Raphael Stone and Dominic Parker after they were spotted with two dogs off leads in fields in Morley in April. The pair pleaded guilty to hunting a wild mammal with dogs, and trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court. 

Parker, 24, who also admitted possession of two lock knives, was given a 17- week suspended jail term, ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work, pay £585 court costs and a victim surcharge of £154. Stone, 27, was given a community order with 40 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £500 costs with a £114 victim surcharge. 

Liz Mort, secretary of the National Coursing Club, said illegal hunting was a “scourge” on the countryside which showed no regard for welfare nor for conservation. 

“A lot of the anger felt by those now unable by law to follow their sports because of the Hunting Act 2004 can be laid at the door of these poachers and trespassers who have always given hunting and coursing a very bad name,” she said.