Sentencing options for criminals convicted of wildlife crime offences in Northern Ireland, including the illegal killing of birds of prey, have been brought into line with the rest of the UK. For the first time, anyone convicted of a wildlife crime offence in Northern Ireland can face a maximum six month prison term. Fines have also been doubled up to a maximum £5,000.
There is a caveat, of course. Environment Minister Alex Attwood said: “For the first time custodial sentences will be an option for the most serious and persistent offenders“. He doesn’t quantify what a ‘serious’ offender is, nor what constitutes a ‘persistent’ offender.
Whilst the new penalties are a welcome sign from a society no longer willing to accept illegal raptor persecution, it’s hoped that those responsible for interpreting and enforcing the law in Northern Ireland have a better success rate than their colleagues in England and Scotland. Even though a custodial sentence has been an option for some time in these countries, so far nobody has received one for a raptor persecution crime, despite some truly appalling incidents of illegal raptor killing.
Full story available on the BBC website here
Raptor Persecution UK 
The following link gives an idea of the sentences we would like to see over here. http://www.birdlifemalta.org/view.aspx?id=326of