Three men accused of committing offences under Section 1 of the Night Poaching Act 1828, have pleaded guilty at Northampton Magistrates’ Court.

The trio were charged with trespassing on private land for the purpose of catching wildlife after a suspicious van parked near Moonshine Gap in Wellingborough, on December 5 last year, was reported to Northamptonshire Police.

The men were also found to be in possession of equipment commonly used for the purpose of poaching including numerous animal call whistles which encourage the prey out and a lamp to spot them. Hindley, aged 34, of Long Moss, Netherton, Bootle, Maguire, aged 33, of Heathfield Road, Birkdale in Southport, and Bradshaw, aged 42, of Longfield Avenue, Crosby, Liverpool, were each ordered to pay £463.04 in compensation.

At the hearing on Friday, June 10, magistrates also ordered that the Harris Hawk, all equipment, and a van, which were seized under the Night Poaching Act 1828, were not returned to the men. The Harris Hawk was slightly under-weight and had pressure sores on her legs, blunt talons and mud on her tail and wing feathers. The carry case they used in the vehicle was also too small for her. She is now safe and has a new home.

PC Chloe Gillies of the Northants Rural Crime Team, who led the investigation, said:

“I hope this conviction sends out a strong message to those who are involved in wildlife crime, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the member of the public whose initial report of the suspicious vehicle enabled us to locate the men at the scene and led to this successful conviction under poaching legislation”.

DC KEATING from the Merseyside Rural Crime Team today (Monday 27th June) attended MAGUIRES home address, with a Deprivation Order and seized MAGUIRES van, which will be destroyed.

DC Keating commented, “Illegal activity such as this will not be tolerated, and the Force’s Rural Crime Team will continue to work pro-actively alongside our colleagues from other forces, our partners and rural communities to tackle these crimes”.