OFFICIAL
The Sentencing Council has today published, in accordance with section 120 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, a sentencing guideline for offences related to hare coursing. These will come into effect on 1 June 2026. This follows a consultation which took place between January and April 2025.
There is one sentencing guideline which covers the offences of:
- Taking or destroying game by night - Night Poaching Act 1828 (section 1)
- Trespass in the daytime in search of game - Game Act 1831 (section 30)
- Trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs etc - Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (Section 63)
- Being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs etc - Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (Section 64)
The guideline is available on the Sentencing Council website here.
As ever, the Council is very grateful to those who responded to the consultations and the helpful suggestions we received have resulted in modifications to the original proposals.
Alongside the guidelines we are publishing a document setting out the response to the consultation and other related documents which can be found here.
WHICH LINKS TO THIS:
Sentencing Council publishes new guideline for sentencing hare coursing offences
sentencingcouncil.org.uk
WHICH TAKES YOU ON TO THIS, WHICH HAS FULLER AN FURTHER INFOTMATION:
Hare coursing - effective from 1 June 2026
sentencingcouncil.org.uk
Yours sincerely
Steve
