14th August
By Karen DarleyReporter
Share League Against Cruel Sports calls for stronger hunting laws | York Press
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National animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports has called for new stronger hunting laws after the police dropped a prosecution despite being presented with footage showing a hunt allegedly chasing a fox.
The footage of the Middleton Hunt hounds and staff – obtained by a League investigator last December – was being investigated by North Yorkshire Police who have now dropped the case on the grounds of identification issues.
The drone footage shows a fox running across a number of fields from a large pack of around 30 hunt hounds near Langton in North Yorkshire.
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Emma Slawinski, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “The failure to prosecute clearly highlights the need for stronger fox hunting laws.
“This case comes as the government is looking into the response from its consultation to ban trail hunting and identifying what other measures would also help end fox hunting.
“The introduction of prison sentences would allow the police more time than the six months they currently have to deal with serious and complex cases.
“Clearer rules around what it means to participate in hunting – so that more than just the unidentified person could be charged – and also the introduction of vicarious liability for hunts would make the job of the police and Crown Prosecution Service much easier.”
The League Against Cruel Sports has also called for all the exemptions in the Hunting Act to be removed as they say these are being exploited by both fox and deer hunts.
Polling commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports and carried out independently by FindOutNow with further analysis by Electoral Calculus in March/April 2024 found that 74 per cent of the Yorkshire public supported stronger fox hunting laws, with only six per cent disagreeing.
Emma added: “It’s time for change. It’s time for stronger and more effective fox hunting laws that make the jobs of the police and courts much easier and allow more successful prosecutions.
“This needs to be backed up by a more effective deterrent to would be hunters in the form of prison sentences, as we campaign to consign fox hunting to the history books.”
The League is urging the public to take part in an action, by contacting their MP and calling for stronger hunting laws.
Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, head of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) said: “Illegal hunting is a national wildlife crime priority, which needs improved legislation to enable the police to tackle criminals most effectively.
“The NWCU has made a submission to the Government consultation on behalf of UK policing, calling for a tougher law that is fit for purpose and removes the unnecessary complexity and loopholes we see within the current legislation.”
Exposing the Big Game 