In what is being hailed as an essential win for local wildlife auspices, four individuals have been found guilty of hare coursing in Lincolnshire and are subsequently prohibited from entering the county for a period of 15 years. The event took place near Holbeach St Marks in October 2024, as Lincolnshire Police’s Rural Crime Team reacted swiftly to alerts of men and dogs pursuing hares. They managed to halt a car involving four dogs; the car’s number plate was deliberately obscured with mud to prevent recognition.
At the hearing in Lincoln Magistrates’ Court, penalties of £750 were issued to Elijah King, aged 20, and Joseph King, aged 41, who are both from Kent, as well as to Elijah Moore, aged 44, from East Sussex. Charles Lee, being 42 years old and hailing from Sevenoaks, Kent, was given a more substantial fine of £1,250.
Combined, the defendants were additionally mandated to pay a consequential sum of £7,140 to cover the expenses related to the kennelling of their seized dogs. The court enforced their prohibition from entering multiple counties, including Lincolnshire, accompanied by dogs or equipped with hunting gear for 15 years.
PC Karen Irving, representing Lincolnshire Police’s Rural Crime Team, emphasised the determination of the force to eliminate such infractions, accentuating that the court declined the return of the impounded dogs. This firm measure emphasises the county’s absolute intolerance of hare coursing, a crime with profound consequences threatening not only the wildlife but also disturbing local agricultural communities.
The primary reporting of this news has been provided by www.bbc.com, and it has been customised here for the readers of The Lincoln Post.
