February 2, 2017 10.13 am This story is over 85 months old

Three men fined for hare coursing in Deeping St James

Three men have been fined and had their dogs seized following hare coursing offences in Deeping St James. Patrick Joseph McCann, 23, and Billy McCann, 18, both of Leicester Road, Market Harborough, were fined £120 each and Jamie Smith, 26, of Chestnut Close, Rassau, Ebbw Vale, was fined £300 after being charged with hunting a…
Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter

Three men have been fined and had their dogs seized following hare coursing offences in Deeping St James.

Patrick Joseph McCann, 23, and Billy McCann, 18, both of Leicester Road, Market Harborough, were fined £120 each and Jamie Smith, 26, of Chestnut Close, Rassau, Ebbw Vale, was fined £300 after being charged with hunting a wild mammal with dogs.

The offences in breach of the Hunting Act occurred on October 2, 2016, with the three men appearing before the Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on January 27.

The court accepted trespassing in the pursuit of game and four dogs were seized by police and an application for their forfeiture was made, though not accepted.

Lincolnshire Police have said that more than 2,000 calls were made between 2015 and 2016 in relation to hare coursing in the county.

Hare coursing was made illegal in the UK under The Hunting Act 2004 where it is an offence to hunt wild mammals with dogs.