Breaking news from @RSPBBirders….
(Former) Stody Estate gamekeeper, Allen Lambert, has today been found guilty of poisoning 10 buzzards and a sparrowhawk, and of having a poisoner’s kit.
Sentencing due in November.
Well done indeed to the RSPB Investigations Team, Norfolk Constabulary and the CPS.
RSPB press release, including link to a video of the crime scene and details of other charges to which Lambert had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, here.
We’ll be blogging some more about this case shortly…[UPDATE: see here]
Meanwhile, here’s a question. Was/is convicted mass poisoner Allen Lambert a member of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation? Let’s ask them. Emails to: info@nationalgamekeepers.org.uk
Here are nine of the buzzards he poisoned:
Raptor Persecution UK 
There must be millions of gamekeepers in britain for such a large number of convicted wildlife criminals to be classed by them as the tiny minority making the rest look bad
An upright member of the NGO?
Typical of his shoddy profession?
We’ve asked the NGO about his membership status….waiting for a reply. Wouldn’t hurt if others asked, too!
info@nationalgamekeepers.org.uk
Also worth asking the Rural Payments Agency whether they will be imposing a fine on the Stody Estate’s Single Farm Payment due to a breach in Statutory Management Requirement 1. Breaches can be reported on csc@rpa.gsi.gov.uk.
Hi Rob,
I did this and received the following one line response:-
“Re: Environmental Information Regulations – Information Request
“Thank you for your email dated 3 October 2014, which we have dealt with under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).
“RPA can confirm there is no investigation ongoing.
“If you are not happy with the way we have handled your request, you can ask for an internal review. These requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should be addressed to: Access to Information, Rural Payments Agency, North Gate House, 21-23 Valpy Street, Reading, RG1 1AF.”
… So that’s it. No investigation, nothing to see here…
Ollie Wright
It’s just utterly shameful, and the law needs to match the crime. The owners on the estates need to be equally punished. With a prison sentence, not slapped wrists. They think they know about land management but they know nothing.
Like this comment you are so right Paul this gamekeeper is carrying out orders from the man who xxxxxxx xxxxxxx [Ed: remainder of message deleted as libellous]
I bet he gets no worse than a token slap on the wrist, if even that.
Lets hope that the sentence fits the crime,
I have emailed the NGO regarding this man but won’t be holding my breath in the hope of getting an answer
Query re membership of the NGO duly sent to address supplied by you. Will let you know what the reply says in due course as we know you will let us know too.
NGO has responded – convicted mass poisoner Allen Lambert “is not a member and never has been”.
So was he an associate member rather than a member? These types are very good with weasels…..
What percentage of gamekeepers do they actually represent?
See http://www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk/news/gamekeeper-found-guilty-of-poisoning-birds-of-prey
This is interesting, according to the NGO’s website, there are 3,000 full time keepers and a similar number of part time keepers in the UK today and although the NGO has more than 15,000 members! This full time head Gamekeeper on an Estate that has featured recently in a high profile shooting magazine and that is run by the family of the ex president of the CLA was not a member or never has been a member of the NGO, what are the chances of that? Couple of questions, is this what other members of the NGO can expect if they get caught, being hung out to dry or will they get a pay off and be told to keep quiet
Absolute shyster, he deserves prison for sure, very sad seeing that photo of the dead Buzzards, I could cry . Absolute twat.
About time, now lets hope they throw the book at him, no paltry fine and a few weaserly words of warning this time. Make an example of him and maybe it just might make other wildlife criminals think twice before they do harm to our rapidly dwindling wildlife.
“As changes and challenges emerge in the countryside, stirring opportunities and threats in equal measure, Lycetts takes an innovative and flexible approach to insurance and risk management to enable our clients to plan for the unpredictable.” ……just as well then ?!
Should get jail time..but I’m not holding my breath
How come this case was brought to a relatively speedy conclusion and yet cases such as that involving gamekeeper George Mutch drag on like a soap opera.
Obviously Mutch has better lawyers, possibly with Scot’s law having higher evidence standards than English law it is was easier to get this through.
Huge congratulations to birdwatchers in / visiting the area who logged their Buzzard sightings: http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/birdtrack/news-archive/2014-10/mass-raptor-poisoning
Your humble counts of Buzzard helped to undermine a key element of the defence’s case, which asserted that Buzzard is not abundant enough in Norfolk for it to be possible to kill so many individuals in one place.
It would be great to see this contribution by ‘normal’ birdwatchers both celebrated and heralded as something we can ALL do in the fight against wildlife crime.
Quite agree Nick. Normal birders can also e-mail the Rural Payments Agency as suggested above and ask them to to investigate a potential cross compliance breach. Farmers receive public subsidy via the Single Farm Payment Scheme and one the few conditions attached to this payment is that they comply with the law. Poisoning raptors, or allowing raptors to be poisoned, on your land is not complying with the law and therefore they should have a fine imposed on the amount of public money they receive. Hit the bastards where it hurts – in their pocket.
If this “man” had the capacity to think for himself and not bow down to needs of his greedy,pea brained,I’ll do what I like because I can,employer,then I think he would have seen he was no longer acting as a sane human being,but gone over to the side of where insanity prevails,where he has gotten away with so much for so long he gets some sick joy out of his actions.Its not the jail he should get,but put in a mental hospital.
We keep hearing that its the cumulative effect that raptors have on game birds.
What is the cumulative effect that this individual has had on raptors. On one day he is found to have killed 11 raptors,multiply that by how long he has been employed as a gamekeeper and multiply that by how many gamekeepers are killing raptors.
This then explains why national populations are effected.
Those that are the holocaust deniers that claim raptor persecution is vastly inflated…………where are you now?