A gamekeeper from Cumbria has today been convicted for killing buzzards by trapping them in a crow cage trap and then battering them to death with a wooden stick.
Gamekeeper Colin Burne, 64, of Winters Park, Penrith, was caught on camera bashing the buzzards’ skulls in with a wooden stake after the RSPB Investigations Team installed a covert video at the trap in February this year. The trap was being operated on land managed by a private shooting syndicate in Whinfell Forest, near Penrith, Cumbria. A further search of the area revealed ‘many other’ dead buzzards, to which Burne admitted killing five.
Burne admitted three charges at Carlisle Magistrates Court today. He received a 70-day jail sentence for each charge, suspended for 12 months due to his ill health.
RSPB press release here.
The film footage will be published shortly.
We’ll be looking for a statement from the National Gamekeepers Organisation to confirm that if Burne was one of their members, he has now been expelled for life.
The team involved with this investigation and conviction (RSPB Investigations, Cumbria Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service) deserve huge credit, especially given the short time span between crime and conviction (less than five months). It seems pretty clear from the evidence that this gamekeeper had been routinely killing buzzards for some time. Will his conviction stop him? It’s hard to say – a suspended sentence is hardly a strong deterrent – but perhaps his ill health will put an end to his criminal career. Certainly the Whinfell Forest shoot will be under closer scrutiny from now on, whether Burne is still involved or not.
So, here we have yet another criminal gamekeeper convicted on the basis of covert video surveillance in England. The CPS and the Magistrates Court don’t seem to have had a problem accepting the video footage as admissible evidence. Had Burne been operating just a few miles further north, this case would not have even reached court, thanks to the Crown Office’s outright refusal to accept this type of evidence. We are greatly looking forward to Paul Wheelhouse’s response to our question from the other day – has the Lord Advocate told the Crown Prosecutors in Scotland to start accepting covert surveillance footage as admissible evidence?
UPDATE 9th July 11.30am: Further details about what Colin Burne did have been published in the News and Star newspaper (here), including an edited version of the video footage showing Burne entering the crow cage trap armed with a fence post to club the buzzards to death. This bastard, who was part of the Cliburn Shoot, knew exactly what he was doing. When initially questioned by the police he denied harming the buzzards – it was only after the video footage was shown to him that he admitted his guilt.
Photo: PC Helen Felton and RSPB Investigator Bob Elliot with two of the buzzards that Burne had clubbed to death, found hidden under a brash pile close to the trap.
UPDATE 9th July 2013 8.15pm: The unedited version of the video has now been posted by the RSPB. View it here. WARNING – IT’S GRAPHIC.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Yes, congratulations to the RSPB team for their excellent work on this case. It is good to see that some sections of the RSPB operate in an effective and efficient manner, as there are many sections and individuals within the society that are a complete waste of space.
Scotland could learn a lot from the English justice system, where these criminals aren’t treated with kid clothes as they are up here.
I am, of course, referring to the infamous similar case of the filmed footage of a game keeper beating crows to death, of which evidence was deemed inadmissible.
See 11.30am update at foot of blog for further detail about this horrific case. Includes a link to a video clip.
See 8.15pm update at foot of blog – the unedited version of the video has now been posted.
Excellent work. What a moron. Scotland take note. Every means available should be used to prosecute criminals like this man. What has National Gamekeepers Organisation got to say, I wonder.
Excellent effort by all agencies and people involved in this case. They deserve heaps of praise. What a despicable person that gamekeeper is.
Outrageous and farcical situation in Scotland where covert video would not be permitted as evidence.
If there is statement from the National Gamekeepers Organisation could you post it here please?
These gamekeepers are a law to them themselves,time and time again we read about the killing they do,a lot more of them should be prosecuted.
I have trail cams hidden all over my patch so I pity anyone who has similar ideas in Sussex. I have visual records of anyone ‘visiting’. Well done with the prosecution.
That is shocking you think it’s ok to monitor people going about their daily business what gives you that right. You clearly have to much time running about trying to be a detective. How would you feel about the public hiding cameras all over your place of work!
Cameras being used for surveillance is nothing new – they’re all over every town and city. Yes there are privacy issues, but the bottom line is that if you’re doing nothing wrong you’ve got nothing to worry about… If it’s Mike’s land I’d say he has the right to do whatever he wants, as long as it’s within the law obviously.
What a sick horrible bastard
Good investagive work by RSPB and police, but clearly the risk of being caught and prosecuted was no deterent.
So, I’d like to see, more funding for more dedicated police wildlife officers, government funding to support the RSPB and its work to find and prosecute these vile individuals.
More publicity to bring an awareness to the public that these beautiful creatures are being reqularly pursucutied