Police Scotland have arrested and charged a 29 year old man from the Jed Forest Hunt with three alleged fox hunting offences after receiving video footage from the League Against Cruel Sports.
Another man, aged 55 and from a different hunt, has been arrested following allegations of a further three illegal hunting offences. He has been released pending further enquiries.
These arrests (and charges in the case of the 29 year old man) are highly significant as I believe they may be the first following the new Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act which came into force in October 2023 (see here).
They’ll be a good test of whether enforcement measures are sufficient for new legislation designed to tackle persistent wildlife crime – an issue we’ll all be monitoring closely when the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act is enacted later this year on Scottish grouse moors.
Penalties under the new fox hunting legislation include a custodial sentence of up to 12 months and/or a fine up to £40,000 (on summary conviction) or a custodial sentence of up to five years and/or a fine (on indictment, i.e. more serious cases).
Since the new legislation was enacted last autumn, investigators from the League Against Cruel Sports have been undertaking covert surveillance (via drone and on the ground) of five mounted hunts (The Berwickshire, Jed Forest, Lauderdale, Duke of Buccleuch, and Dumfries and Stewartry) and have submitted their findings to Police Scotland, resulting in the two arrests.
The League has published video footage from its observations (here) and an end of season report, which can be read/downloaded below:
Please note: As the 29 year old has now been charged with three alleged hunting offences, comments about his specific case will not be published until criminal proceedings against him have concluded. However, comments about the hunting legislation in general and the League’s findings are welcome, subject to the usual blog policy on libel, personal abuse etc.
Raptor Persecution UK 
It’s like some sort of death wish.
You are overthinking it. They are just arseholes.
‘arseholes’ perform a useful function.
Conceded.
A good use of drone tech…as opposed to using them to kill people.
brilliant, well done LACS. Our sabs do a great job but covert surveillance hopefully keeps the monitors safe and means the hunts think it’s “business as usual”. Close them all down I say
Let’s hope that the new ‘penalties under the new fox hunting legislation do include a custodial sentence of up to 12 months and/or a fine up to £40,000 (on summary conviction) or a custodial sentence of up to five years and/or a fine (on indictment, i.e. more serious cases)’. And not the usual slap-on-the-wrist, ‘don’t be a naughty boy’ punishments that are, or seem to be, the norm.
And that the Scottish government can point the way for Sunak and his mob to follow suit, although they seem to have no concern whatsoever for wildlife and their environments, they are well down their list of anything important that needs remedying in those matters
[Ed: comment deleted as proceedings are live]
I fear that there are still too many loopholes in the legislation, and the ‘hunting’ is still being conducted without adequate oversight.
Good result from LACS my membership money well spent drones are the way forward.