Sentencing Council's guidance on Hare Coursing

[harrygiani]

The Sentencing Council has published its guidance on sentencing those found guilty of Hare Coursing.

The SCG is the definitive framework that is used to determine the harm caused, and culpability of a person found guilty of an offence. The courts can (and occassionally do) go outside the Guidance, but for most cases, Mags and Crown Courts tend to use these for sentencing.

1. Taking or destroying game by night, Night Poaching Act 1828 (section 1)
2. Trespass in the daytime in search of game, Game Act 1831 (section 30)
3. Trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs etc, Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (Section 63)
4. Being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs etc, Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (Section 64)

The offences are triable only summarily, that is to say that they can be tried in Magistrates Courts ordinarily, and not in the Crown Courts.

The maximum sentence that the Mags can impose is an unlimited fine and/or 6 months’ custody

The full Guidance is published here: Hare coursing

 

[WW.]

Key bit is it can also fall under the Hunting Act, which allows unlimited fine and seizure of equipment (including dogs) plus warrant not needed for search of land, vehicle, premises other than a dwelling.

 

[Rake Aboot]

The sport of Kings. Lost forever due to class hatred.

 

[finbar]

Totally agree was lucky enough to see the Waterloo cup good few times

 

[TringSaint]

A good friend of mine was a slipper for many years and I also helped him train coursing greyhounds which won well.
His mantra was that the hare should escape in the majority of cases, and they did, but not before the dogs had turned it a good few times.
Striking the balance between the dogs been released too close to the hare (often resulting in a kill) and too far (resulting in them being unsighted) was a real skill, and Nigel was great at it.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for other slippers who often released too early resulting in high kill rates that were often observed and filmed by antis.

However, times move on and it’s now illegal so those who continue to do it should be hit with the maximum force of the law else the slide of field sports will only accelerate