Tag: tawny owl

Lancashire man convicted of shooting Tawny Owl in local park

In July 2024 Joe Morris, 28, of White Grove, Colne, Lancashire was charged with killing two wild birds with an air rifle after police received reports of someone seen dumping a Tawny Owl and a Woodpigeon in a wheelie bin in Colne in March 2024 (see here).

Tawny Owl. Photo by Pete Walkden

This case was heard in November 2024 but it missed my radar so here, for completeness, is a belated report, thanks to the court reporter Andrew Bellard at the Lancashire Telegraph who wrote the following article, published 18 November 2024:

DRUNK MAN SHOT TAWNY OWL AND WOOD PIGEON AT ALKINCOATS PARK

A drunk man shot two “beautiful” birds with an air rifle when he went shooting in a public park.

Blackburn magistrates heard Joe Morris was drunk when he went to the park and shot a tawny owl and a wood pigeon.

Morris, 28, of White Grove, Colne, pleaded guilty to possessing an air weapon in Alkincoats Park, Colne, and killing a tawny owl and a wood pigeon.

He was made subject to a community order for 12 months with a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement and a six-month alcohol treatment requirement.

He was fined £40 with £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

District Judge Alexandra Preston said wildlife was priceless and Morris had killed two beautiful birds.

“It is alarming to think you were out with an air rifle and, by your own admission, you were drunk when you did this,” she said.

Henry Prescott, prosecuting, said police received an anonymous tip-off about a man returning to his home address and putting a tawny owl and a wood pigeon in his wheelie bin.

The caller said Morris regularly went to Alkincoats Park shooting wild birds.

When officers spoke to Morris at his home he admitted what he had done and recovered the birds from the bin.

Mr Prescott said the air rifle was not an illegal weapon and had not been seized by the police.

Mark Williams, defending, said his client had disposed of the air rifle and had no intention of replacing it.

“He is very embarrassed and ashamed of what he did,” said Mr Williams.

“He can’t and doesn’t wish to put forward any excuses. He accepts what he did was very inappropriate.”

Mr Williams said his client had problems with alcohol and had self-referred to Inspire.

ENDS

Man charged with shooting Tawny Owl & Woodpigeon & dumping them in wheelie bin

A man has been charged with killing two wild birds with an air rifle after police received reports of someone seen dumping a Tawny Owl and a Woodpigeon in a wheelie bin in Colne, Lancashire, in March 2024.

Tawny Owl photo by Pete Walkden

Joe Morris, 28, of White Grove, Colne, Lancashire has been charged with killing a non-Schedule 1 bird, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and possessing an air weapon in a public place.

He is due to appear before Blackburn Magistrates on 22 August 2024.

UPDATE 29 April 2025: Lancashire man convicted of shooting Tawny Owl in local park (here)

Northamptonshire Police appeal for information after tawny owl found shot

Appeal for information from Northamptonshire Police, 1st May 2024:

APPEAL FOR INFORMATION AFTER INJURED TAWNY OWL FOUND NEAR ORLINGBURY

Rural Crime Team officers are appealing for information after a tawny owl was found with a rifle shot wound in woods near Orlingbury.

The injured owl was found in Badsaddle Wood, between Orlingbury and Broughton off the A43, on the afternoon of Monday, April 1.

It was taken to a rescue centre where it sadly died from its injuries.

Tawny owl photo by Pete Walkden

Like most birds in the UK, tawny owls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to kill, injure or capture a bird and also to damage or destroy their nests.

Officers investigating the incident are appealing for information about sightings of anyone with a rifle in the Badsaddle Wood area.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.

Please quote incident number 24000191237 when getting in touch to ensure your information reaches the right person as quickly as possible.

ENDS

Leicestershire man receives 12 month community order for illegal possession of dead protected species, including 8 raptors

In October 2023, Kelvin Birtles of Saffron Road, Wigston appeared at Leicester Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to three offences – the possession of two dead badgers (in breach of the Protection of Badgers Act), the possession of two dead otters (in breach of the Wildlife & Countryside Act) and the possession of nine dead birds including three buzzards, four tawny owls, one barn owl and one swan, which were all found in his freezer during a joint police and trading standards raid in April 2023. Sentencing was deferred for background reports (see blog here).

Buzzard photo by Andy Howard

Birtle re-appeared at Leicester Magistrates Court on 15th November 2023 where he told the court he didn’t know he needed a licence, that some of the items were for his taxidermy hobby, and that some had been roadkill that he’d removed from near a school because ‘he didn’t want kids to see them smashed up on the road’.

He received a 12 month community order requiring him to carry out 120 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and £114 victim surcharge.

Source: Leicestershire Live website

Leicestershire man pleads guilty to possession of 8 raptors & other protected wildlife found in his freezer

A Leicestershire man has been convicted for the possession of protected wildlife that was discovered in his freezer during a joint police and trading standards raid in April 2023.

Kelvin Birtles of Saffron Road, Wigston, pleaded guilty to three offences – the possession of two dead badgers (in breach of the Protection of Badgers Act), the possession of two dead otters (in breach of the Wildlife & Countryside Act) and the possession of nine dead birds including three buzzards, four tawny owls, one barn owl and one swan.

Buzzard photo: Steve Robinson

The body parts of other animals were also found during the raid, including  llamas, piglets, a pheasant and a horse, although as these are not protected species, their possession isn’t an offence.

Birtles had claimed all the animals were roadkill and that he hadn’t killed them himself. Even if that’s true, possession of protected species is still an offence.

District Judge Jonathan Straw ordered a probation report and deferred sentencing until 15th November.

Source: Leicestershire Live

UPDATE 30 December 2023: Leicestershire man receives 12 month community order for illegal possession of dead protected species, including 8 raptors (here)

Cheshire man convicted for possession of wild owls & associated welfare offences

Press release from Cheshire Constabulary (24 July 2023)

MAN BANNED FROM KEEPING BIRDS FOR FIVE YEARS

A man has been disqualified from keeping birds for five years after police seized wild owls from his address which were being kept in unsuitable conditions.

Alan Mee, 61, of Larch Avenue, Newton-le-Willows, appeared at Crewe Magistrates’ Court on Monday 17 July where he pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the needs of an animal, and two counts of possessing a wild bird.

The three tawny owls at Mee’s premises. (Photo: Cheshire Constabulary)

On 20 June, 2022, Cheshire Police’s Rural Crime Team, Merseyside Police, RSPCA, and Natural England executed a warrant as a result of information relating to wild birds in the Cheshire area.

Cheshire Police led on the warrant at Mee’s address in Newton-le-Willows and three tawny owls were located, two of which were suspected to have been taken from the wild.

All three owls were seized due to the conditions they were being kept in, which included having dirty water, no feeding area, and the aviary being too small.

Mee was interviewed under police caution in relation to the offence before being charged.

He was disqualified from keeping birds for a period of five years and also incurred a fine and court costs to the value of £823.

PC Ashley Tether, of the Rural Crime Unit, said:

“This case demonstrates the importance of working with our partner agencies to tackle wildlife crime and combat those responsible for the suffering of animals.

The three tawny owls seized from Mee’s address were kept in poor conditions with no access to fresh water, an adequate enclosure size, or a clean food ledge.

Mee is now disqualified from owning, keeping, participating in the keeping, or influencing the way birds are kept, for a period of five years. 

I hope this acts as a reminder that we are committed to doing all we can to help protect our wildlife“.

ENDS

Many thanks to the blog reader who alerted me to to this press release.

Update from Lincolnshire Police on discovery of raptor body parts found in ditch

In January 2023, Detective Constable Aaron Flint from Lincolnshire Police’s Wildlife Crime Unit appealed for information after the discovery of various body parts from three barn owls, one tawny owl and one red kite were found dumped in a ditch near Sleaford (see here and here).

Photo by Lincolnshire Police

Today, DC Flint has provided an update on the investigation:

Kent police appeal for info re: unlawful killing of tawny owl. Do you recognise these men?

Kent Police Appeal for Information (9th January 2023):

Unlawful killing of owl in Upchurch.

Kent Police’s Rural Task Force is investigating the suspected killing of a tawny owl in Upchurch.

The incident is believed to have happened in October 2022 and officers have recently come into possession of images of two men they would like to speak to.

Police Sergeant Darren Walshaw said: “We suspect an owl was killed using catapults and are now issuing photographs of two people who may be able to assist with our enquiries. Anybody who recognises one or both of them is urged to contact our appeal line.”

Anyone with information should call 01634 792209, quoting Rural Task Force reference 95-22. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or complete the online form on the website.

ENDS

Three barn owls, one tawny owl & one red kite found dumped in ditch – police appeal for information

More detail has emerged about the discovery of five dead birds of prey and two magpies found in suspicious circumstances and the subject of an appeal for information yesterday by Lincolnshire Police’s Wildlife Crime Team (see here).

The five raptors are reported to be three barn owls, one tawny owl and a red kite.

The police appeal for information contained very little detail yesterday – no date of discovery, no specific location and no species identification, although the dismembered wings of a barn owl could be seen in the accompanying police photograph:

Many thanks to BBC reporters Simon Hare and Paul Murphy for providing a bit more information:

If you have any information that could assist the police investigation please contact DC Aaron Flint at Lincolnshire Police, either by calling 101 and quoting incident number 22000747007 or by emailing aaron.flint@lincs.police.uk

UPDATE 27th May 2023: Update from Lincolnshire Police on discovery of raptor body parts found in ditch (here)

Investigative journalists discover more evidence of alleged raptor persecution on Queen’s Sandringham Estate

Investigative journalists from The Guardian newspaper have uncovered more evidence of alleged raptor persecution crimes, not previously reported, at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

They’ve also uncovered documents which reveal that the police have to seek the Queen’s permission before they are allowed to enter the estate and search for evidence if alleged wildlife crimes are suspected / have been reported.

Long-term blog readers will know that this royal estate has been at the centre of a number of police investigations into alleged raptor persecution, (e.g. see here, here, here, here, here), including the most notorious incident back in 2007 where witnesses observed two hen harriers being shot over Dersingham Bog at the same time that Prince Harry, his mate William van Cutsem (whose Hilborough Estate is currently under police investigation for alleged raptor persecution), and an estate gamekeeper were out duck-shooting. No-one was charged, as with all the other reported incidents except one in 2005, where an estate gamekeeper was convicted for pole-trapping a tawny owl next to a pheasant pen (see here, page 3).

However, it now appears that at least two other raptor persecution incidents on the estate have been kept under wraps for years – a poisoned red kite found in 2006 and a dead Marsh harrier (cause of death not given) found on the estate border in 2007 – according to documents published on Friday by The Guardian – the article is well worth a read, here.

Why has it taken 16 years for these raptor persecution incidents to become public knowledge? And given the timings, wouldn’t it have been pertinent for them to have been in the public domain at the time that Prince Harry, his ‘high society’ mate van Cutsem, along with an estate gamekeeper, were all under police investigation into the alleged shooting of two hen harriers in 2007?

It’s no wonder ‘nothing was found’ during the police investigation into those alleged shootings, given that the police weren’t allowed on site until the following morning.

And surprise, surprise, none of the investigating authorities want to comment on any of these latest revelations. Too scared and too obsequious.

There is a follow-up article in today’s Guardian (here), including quotes from me about these very shady processes that amount to what I would call a massive cover-up.

Well done to journalists Sev Carrell, Rob Evans and David Pegg for having the balls to challenge this nonsense.