A Scottish gamekeeper has pleaded guilty to killing a Goshawk after he battered it to death after it was caught inside a Crow cage trap on a shooting estate in Perthshire.
At Perth Sheriff Court this morning, on what should have been the opening day of a criminal trial, gamekeeper Russell Mason, 49, changed his plea to guilty in relation to the charge that he had killed a Goshawk at Milton of Drimmie, near Blairgowrie, on 12 February 2024 (see here for background to this case).
The court was shown a six-minute video of Mason killing the Goshawk – the footage had been filmed covertly by the RSPB’s Investigations Team and was crucial to providing the Crown Office with sufficient evidence to prosecute.
Mason also pleaded guilty to various firearms offences but it is believed that charges relating to alleged snaring offences were dropped, probably as part of a plea bargain.
The court heard that Mason has a previous conviction (the details were not discussed) and sentencing was deferred until 24 April 2026 for background reports. The Sheriff mentioned that a ‘restriction of liberty order’ may be considered. This is a direct alternative to a custodial sentence and usually involves electronic monitoring/tagging.
I expect the RSPB will publish its gruesome footage once sentencing is complete.
Congratulations to Police Scotland, RSPB, Scottish SPCA and the Crown Office & Fiscal Service for an exemplary investigation and prosecution. This is what effective partnership-working looks like.
Incidentally, this is the third successful conviction for raptor persecution in as many months where covert video evidence provided by the RSPB has been pivotal to the case.
The other two cases so far this year were:
12 January 2026, Scarborough Magistrates’ Court: gamekeeper Thomas Munday pleaded guilty to battering to death a Buzzard that had been caught inside a Crow cage trap on a Pheasant shoot at Hovingham, North Yorkshire (here)
and
29 January 2026, York Magistrates’ Court: gamekeeper Racster Dingwall pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill a Hen Harrier as it came in to roost on a grouse moor on the Conistone & Grassington Estate in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
Many of you will be aware of the game-shooting industry’s recently ramped-up efforts to try to discredit and smear the reputations of RSPB Investigations Team members; these three convictions shouldn’t leave you in any doubt of the industry’s motivation.
Without the skill and expertise of the RSPB’s ability to capture such covert footage, these criminals would have escaped justice and the game-shooting industry’s claims of respectability and adherence to the law would go unchallenged. It’s as simple as that.
We can expect more news on the repercussions of today’s conviction in due course – i.e. was Mason a member of the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association? Was he a member of the Tayside & Central Regional Moorland Group? (certainly someone with the same name and affiliation has previously signed an official letter to the Scottish Parliament about snaring regulations). Will NatureScot impose a three-year General Licence restriction on this estate? Is the estate a member of the landowners’ lobby group, Scottish Land & Estates? And will there be a prosecution for alleged vicarious liability?
NB: As legal proceedings have now concluded, comments are open on this case, with the usual caveat that offensive/libellous posts will not be published.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Sad that it’s taken 2 years to bring this case to trial. It would be a much more effective deterrent to others if these cases could be resolved more quickly, especially with such damaging evidence as video footage available.
It would have called sooner had Mason chosen to plead guilty when he was first charged back in 2024. Perhaps, and I’m speculating here, the legal advice given to him was to plead not guilty and the defence would try and get the case thrown out on a technicality (re: admission of video evidence) as has happened so often before. However, the recent run of successful convictions, based on admissible covert footage, might have changed his lawyer’s mind?
He had better go down for this, and when he does [Ed: rest of comment deleted]
And you have to wonder how many other cases like this that are not filmed, what fine, upstanding citizens these people are
I wonder what the various firearm offences were and whether his previous conviction should have led to him to not be allowed to have a shotgun…. Hopefully he won’t get a slap on the wrist but I’m not holding my breath as I expect he’s another one with an unblemished character and pillar of the community!
Not a surprise, yet another gamekeeper proved to be a criminal. Are there any that aren’t!
Let’s see if this conviction is posted on the SGA website?
How has this happened? Several years ago it was apparent that the advocates had knobbled the Scottish CPS and effectively banned any video evidence which had been produced by anyone who might have wished to use it in court.
This is a brilliant change. Why?
Well done to all investigators and the PF. mid hope his gun licence is removed as should happen in all these cases
This is Great News, hopefully the tide is beginning to turn ! no Doubt the tip of the iceberg,let’s hope the punishment fits the bill,though I won’t hold my breath on it !! But a Very Well Done from All Concerned.
Genuine question: How was video evidence successfully introduced as opposed to a number of previous failures to get it into court?
Indeed, well-deserved congratulations to Police Scotland, RSPB, Scottish SPCA and the Crown Office & Fiscal Service for an exemplary investigation and prosecution.
Although I am annoyed by the fact that Mr Mason’s, due to plea-bargaining, charges relating to alleged snaring offences were probably dropped. If you are guilty of a crime, you should be punished for it. Not allowed to barter. It’s not as if there wasn’t conclusive evidence of his murdering the poor goshawk in such an abhorrent way
Dreadful criminality, one wonders what the penalty will be given that this sort of offence usually involves Buzzards a none Schedule One bird. One hopes this is taken into consideration as the last time there was such a conviction in Scotland the keeper ( a George Much I Believe) went to jail. I’ve long believed there should be specific rules governing crow cage traps because if set in woodland or woodland edge I strongly suspect that Goshawks not crows are the target, the same with Larsen traps.