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Yet another gamekeeper raptor kill..
This time it involves ,the now, former head gamekeeper for the Earl of Shaftsbury. What is it with these uber-wealthy, uber-priveledged people that they have such a penchant for killing wildlife and allow their land to be used for the same purpose for more sick-minded individuals ?
For whatever reason this case has gone on a long time until the gamekeeper,Paul Allen (54) was recently found guilty and sentenced a few weeks ago. At the time of the offences he managed a private, commercial shoot on the Shaftesbury estate near Winbourne St Giles, Dorset. He was found guilty of killing nine buzzards.They were found in his yard on the Shaftsbury estate. He'd most likely also killed a red Kite which was found to have high levels of brodifacoum in it. A member of the public found it in fields on the Shaftsbury estate,I assume, because it was this that lead police to Allen. Brodifacoum is the deadliest rat poison that can be bought on the market and prior to 2016 could only be used indoors but that requirement was dropped by the government after that date. The RSPCA want the restriction to be re-imposed and to be used only by accredited pest control officers in specific circumstances.
A poisoned, tagged, White-Tailed Eagle had been found on the estate,too with 7x the lethal dose of brodifacoum in it 10 months later which was not connected to Allen. So, it sounds as though Allen lost his job after his arrest but the poisioning continued. When police searched his home they found other poisons including the two bottles of the banned poison, strychnine. They also found a loaded ,unlicensed, shotgun along with 55 rounds of unsecured ammunition. He pleaded guilty and was given a 15 week prison sentence....suspended for a year... plus a £2,022 fine. I wonder who'll be paying that ? To give a prison sentence of just 15 weeks is bad enough but to then suspend it leaves those who care about this wicked crime in despair. And what about the Earl ? Nothing. Until the landowners are held responsible the practice will continue.
Re sentencing: https://raptorpersecutionuk.org/2014/11/07/wildlife-crime-penalties-have-your-say/
Sentencing for wildlife crimes has been hit or miss in both Scotland and England. For most wildlife crime offences (although not all), the maximum sentence available for each offence is a £5,000 fine and/or a six month custodial sentence. So for example, if someone had been convicted of poisoning two buzzards, they could potentially be hit with a £10,000 fine and a 12 month custodial sentence. As far as we’re aware, the maximum sentence has never been given. Instead, a large dollop of judicial discretion has been applied, resulting in weak and inconsistent penalties and a growing level of frustration amongst the general public who wish to see justice being done.
This time it involves ,the now, former head gamekeeper for the Earl of Shaftsbury. What is it with these uber-wealthy, uber-priveledged people that they have such a penchant for killing wildlife and allow their land to be used for the same purpose for more sick-minded individuals ?
For whatever reason this case has gone on a long time until the gamekeeper,Paul Allen (54) was recently found guilty and sentenced a few weeks ago. At the time of the offences he managed a private, commercial shoot on the Shaftesbury estate near Winbourne St Giles, Dorset. He was found guilty of killing nine buzzards.They were found in his yard on the Shaftsbury estate. He'd most likely also killed a red Kite which was found to have high levels of brodifacoum in it. A member of the public found it in fields on the Shaftsbury estate,I assume, because it was this that lead police to Allen. Brodifacoum is the deadliest rat poison that can be bought on the market and prior to 2016 could only be used indoors but that requirement was dropped by the government after that date. The RSPCA want the restriction to be re-imposed and to be used only by accredited pest control officers in specific circumstances.
A poisoned, tagged, White-Tailed Eagle had been found on the estate,too with 7x the lethal dose of brodifacoum in it 10 months later which was not connected to Allen. So, it sounds as though Allen lost his job after his arrest but the poisioning continued. When police searched his home they found other poisons including the two bottles of the banned poison, strychnine. They also found a loaded ,unlicensed, shotgun along with 55 rounds of unsecured ammunition. He pleaded guilty and was given a 15 week prison sentence....suspended for a year... plus a £2,022 fine. I wonder who'll be paying that ? To give a prison sentence of just 15 weeks is bad enough but to then suspend it leaves those who care about this wicked crime in despair. And what about the Earl ? Nothing. Until the landowners are held responsible the practice will continue.
Re sentencing: https://raptorpersecutionuk.org/2014/11/07/wildlife-crime-penalties-have-your-say/
Sentencing for wildlife crimes has been hit or miss in both Scotland and England. For most wildlife crime offences (although not all), the maximum sentence available for each offence is a £5,000 fine and/or a six month custodial sentence. So for example, if someone had been convicted of poisoning two buzzards, they could potentially be hit with a £10,000 fine and a 12 month custodial sentence. As far as we’re aware, the maximum sentence has never been given. Instead, a large dollop of judicial discretion has been applied, resulting in weak and inconsistent penalties and a growing level of frustration amongst the general public who wish to see justice being done.
