The long-running prosecution of Lincolnshire farmer William Brian Chorlton, now 88-years-old, continued at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court last week.
In April 2025, Mr Chorlton, then aged 87, of Morkery Lane, Castle Bytham in Lincolnshire was summoned to court following reports that birds of prey were being poisoned in the Castle Bytham area.
He faced eleven charges relating to the unapproved or unlawful storage of the chemical Aldicarb, possession of a poisoners kit, and possession and use of four pole traps on his Pheasant shoot (see here).
Mr Chorlton appeared at Lincolnshire Magistrates’ Court in May 2025 and pleaded not guilty to all charges and the case was set to proceed to trial in October 2025.
However, at a pre-trial hearing in September 2025, Mr Chorlton’s lawyer announced that he intended to apply for a judicial review of the District Judge’s decision not to dismiss the case (see here), which meant that the original trial date of October 2025 was postponed until the judicial review application was heard.
A further case management hearing scheduled for January 2026 was also postponed as the application for judicial review was still underway (see here).
In April 2026 Mr Chorlton’s application for judicial review was rejected by the High Court.
Another case management hearing (for the criminal prosecution case) took place in April 2026 and a new trial date was set for 8th and 9th October 2026.
The trial began last week and evidence was heard from prosecution witnesses, including evidence about the discovery of Tawny Owl DNA on a number of pole traps that Mr Chorlton claims were being used to trap squirrels.
The trial was further adjourned and will continue at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court in February 2027.
NB: As proceedings are still live, comments have been turned off.
