Web images snare badger baiters
18 January 2008 - BBC News
A court has heard how a badger baiting ring was discovered after a teenager
posted pictures of an animal being attacked by a dog on the internet. Police
obtained warrants and searched several houses in Hawick in the Borders after
viewing the images. Two members of the gang appeared at Jedburgh Sheriff Court
on Thursday and admitted digging at badger setts.
Sentence on Sean Dodds, 17, of McLagan Drive, and Kyle Lawrie, 19, of Church
Lane, both Hawick, was deferred. Dodds, who had downloaded images of a badger
being killed as a profile on his Bebo page, pleaded guilty to wilfully killing a
badger. It is the first time someone in Scotland has been convicted of
deliberately killing a badger with a dog.
Investigations were carried out and there were pictures of dogs attacking a
badger on Dodds' Bebo website John Barclay Wildlife prosecutor
Under current legislation the maximum penalty for the offence is six months
in custody, compared to three years for digging around a sett. This anomaly was
highlighted by Sheriff Kevin Drummond who hinted that the law needed to be
re-examined.
Both men admitted digging for a badger at a sett at Acreknowe reservoir near
their home town in October 2006. Lawrie pleaded guilty to a similar offence at
woodland near Wilton Dean, Hawick, on 15 November 2006, while Dodds admitted
wilfully allowing a dog to attack and kill a badger on that occasion.
Wildlife prosecutor John Barclay described how Pc Mark Rafferty was given
information in January 2007 about the badger-baiting gang. "He was told Dodds
and Lawrie were involved in digging for badgers and that images of these
activities were posted on an internet site," he said. "Investigations were
carried out and there were pictures of dogs attacking a badger on Dodds' Bebo
website. As a result of seeing this, warrants were obtained to search their
homes and a number of dogs were seized by police - a mixture of lurchers,
terriers and mongrels."
Dodds' lawyer, Rhona MacLeod, described her client as "immature". She
insisted he had downloaded the badger-killing images from another website. "He
regrets the whole incident," she said. "He is ashamed of what he did. As bizarre
as it may sound he has always been seen as a dog lover."
Lawrie's lawyer, Alison Marshall, added that the pair had been influenced by
others. "The two accused were not the only people involved in these activities,"
she said.
For more information, please click the following link:
External News |
We have provided links to stories from external news
organisations so you can follow the media interest in badgers, and see who
writes on the subject. We do not endorse external authors. |
|
|