Earlier this year the British Association of Shooting & Conservation (BASC) was vociferously complaining in the press and to the Parliament about the alleged abuse faced by gamekeepers and others in the game-shooting industry (see here).
Meanwhile, at the same time, BASC’s Northern England Director, Duncan Thomas, was posting misogynistic abuse about me on social media (see here).
I made a formal complaint to BASC in February and one month later this letter was delivered to the Wild Justice office:
I don’t intend to comment on the content.
What I will comment on is the lack of parity between this letter and the original abuse. Duncan Thomas’s misogyny was displayed in public, on social media, on a page with thousands of viewers. His letter of apology was undated, on un-headed notepaper and sent through the post, presumably meant for my eyes only.
I think it is only fair that his apology is given the same level of exposure as his original disgusting commentary.
I don’t know what BASC as an organisation thinks about this incident; there hasn’t been a formal apology from head office about the behaviour of one its senior employees. However, I would like it on record that CEO Ian Bell handled my complaint with courtesy and professionalism and I have thanked him for that.
Raptor Persecution UK 
What does this say about the sort of people who rise to senior positions in the BASC?
Looks to me as if this was dictated to him.
As I have possibly mentioned before, BASC is the what WAGBI morphed into. WAGBI was founded by my great grandfather, who I can confirm was also fully paid up misogynist.
DT xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx who liked to get his own way, that is also my personal experience of him.. It went beyond the forceful passion of his interests and then employment. That you got any sort of apology amazes me but it should have been on the same social media page as the original abuse and any written apology should have been on headed note paper. Perhaps he has learnt his lesson, we shall see. Whilst I detest what the MA stands for mainly because much of it is sham I hope I have never been misogynistic towards their director Amanda Anderson in any communication, I don’t think I have but it is all of course in the mind of the recipient.
I really don’t think misogyny is all “in the mind of the recipient.” It is there for everyone to see and it should appall any decent minded person when they do see it.
Call me a cynic if you wish, but I don’t think the apology is genuine. Like Rhubarb, it’s been forced.
It is an apology, just not a very classy one and he probably signed it himself !
I think he will be reluctant to put it on his social media, that would be like accepting a telling off like a little boy, with this shame being witnessed by his gang of admirers. Not an easy thing to swallow for these no-nonsense up-north John Wayne types of which he is a stereotype (& near caricature). Sadly I have lived & worked among these meat-heads all my life, so I can spot them at a glance. I think the quality of officers at BASC has declined a lot since I was a member, or equally likely I was a meat-head back then too!
Well done Ruth.Doubtless this will have been passed down the line.
Close the book on it.
They cant help but egg themselves on from one extreme to the next. Super-macho behaviour from inadequate people. Post it on twitter and facebook with the old #RWP21, that should get it some limited coverage amoungst his peers….
The good grace with which you thank CEO Ian Bell for his courtesy and professionalism stands in stark contrast to the evident lack of the same from Duncan Thomas. To ‘apologise’ for his abusive social media posts privately on undated and un-headed notepaper is a minimal and bare response that reeks of insincerity and forced reluctance to such a degree that it borders on the insulting. Let us not forget either that, whilst accepting Mr. Bell’s consideration in this matter, in most organisations such foul misogynistic abuse by an employee would be grounds for instant dismissal. One has to ask why such a course was not taken in this case when, as we all know, had Chris Packham behaved similarly then BASC, CA et al would (again) be petitioning for his ‘sacking’ by the BBC.
As an apology it is pathetic and not worth the paper it’s written on. The way so many in the shooting fraternity have pursued the differences of view undermines the sort of society we should all hope to live in. there seems to be some sort of collective lunacy through the internet where abusive, offensive comments are assumed by the makers not to have any connection with reality. For the recipients it simply isn’t so and we need to call out the behaviour as Ruth has.
and lets not forget that DT is an ex police officer…should know all about acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour.
He was no different as a PC Dave. the things I could tell you but Ruth would probably rightly X it all out.
I did message BASC on their FB page asking if they would be featuring this apology there.To me, it needs more than eight lines, and for BASC to promote it as he signed as ‘Director’.
You know the saying….forgive but don’t forget…..
I can’t help thinking that he’s done this, perhaps off his own back, in the hope that you just accept it, then it would have just “went away” without any adverse publicity. The fact that it is not on headed paper, could well indicate that BASC didn’t know about it.
On the other hand, BASC isn’t exactly known for being the most honest of organisations, so there is the possibility that they asked Thomas to send it in such a way, in order that BASC couldn’t be linked to misogyny or bullying.
I was thinking that something so short of detail might be deniable in future. I don’t doubt I was wrong.
Maybe as an ex policeman DT is aware of the pending change in English law that will make misogyny a hate crime. Penalties for that offence would probably be higher than breaching the malicious communications act. A smell that would and should follow him around for a very long time.
[Ed: Thanks, Prasad, waiting for more detail before publishing on here – I’ve read conflicting reports]
I suppose he thinks that this, possibly insincere apology makes everything OK. It’s sad that you have to put up with abuse just for standing up for what’s right – for which I thank you.
I would have crowd-funded an action against him, Ruth.
Give these bastards no quarter – they give our wildlife none; nor the brave souls such as you, Mark, Chris who place your heads above the parapet!
Nice to see xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx grovelling to keep his job, basc have no standards he should have lost his job