Last month we blogged about court proceedings in the case of an Angus Glens gamekeeper, Craig Graham, who is facing accusations of alleged pole-trapping offences on the Brewlands Estate (see here).
Graham, 51, is accused of setting and re-setting a pole trap, baited with a pheasant carcass, between 9-17th July 2015.
At a third hearing at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday, Graham pleaded not guilty to the charges.
This has now triggered a trial, provisionally set for 9th September 2016, with an intermediate diet to be heard on 16 August 2016.
Raptor Persecution UK 
[Ed: comment deleted as libellous. Please note: at this stage the offences are ALLEGED and the accused has pleaded not guilty]
No probs :-)
Looking forward to seeing all available evidence for and against displayed in public court for everyone to make their own judgement as well as the jury.
Keep in mind it is at Forfar Sheriff Court, cryptic …. where, without explanation, charges involving the illegal use of snares were dropped against an Angus Glens gamekeeper a few weeks ago. It is said that the ladder of the law has no top and no bottom but at times it sure doesn’t appear that way.
That’s true, George, but it wasn’t Forfar Sheriff court’s decision to drop the charges, it was the Procurator Fiscal’s decision.
Aye, RPS, this is true but there is no guarantee that the team which decided not to take the last case to trial will not pursue a similar line this time. The problem is there is no way to find out who they are and exactly why they thought it would not stand up in court …. and there lies the problem for the layman.
I was trying to avoid the string of xxxxxx’s or worse, the dread square bracketed note. I’m sure we can all read between the lines though.
Presumably the prosecution is being handled by one of the specialist wildlife crime fiscals rather than the local fiscal’s office.