In October and December 1998, a dead golden eagle and a buzzard were found on the Glenalmond Estate in Perthshire. The carcass of a red grouse was found close by, and tests later showed it had been used as a poisoned bait. The golden eagle had been killed by ingesting the illegal pesticide, Yaltox.
In Perth Sheriff Court in December 2000, a local gamekeeper was acquitted of all charges. He was also acquitted of further charges related to laying poisoned baits for either a peregrine or a golden eagle.
News story here
This case failed when the main prosecution witness, a tenant of the estate, reneged on his detailed statement, where he had told the police that [the gamekeeper] had offered him the same poison to get rid of vermin. He did this actually in the witness box thus bringing the trial to a close. One can only speculate on what pressure or motives were behind his “change of heart”.?