Human Magpie Imprisoned for Taking Eggs

A Norfolk man has been jailed for a second time after taking more than 5,000 rare birds eggs from the wild.

It is an offence under section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for any person to intentionally take or destroy the eggs of any wild bird.

Daniel Lingham, 65, was reported to police by a member of the public who saw him "head-to-toe in camouflage gear" picking eggs up off the ground at Cawston Heath in Norfolk.

Police officers stopped and searched Lingham on 21st May, finding two tubs of eggs and egg gathering paraphernalia in his possession.

A subsequent search of Lingham's property uncovered a haul of 5,266 eggs of species including nightingales, kingfishers and nightjars.

Lingham pleaded guilty to five offences under the 1981 Act during an earlier hearing at Norwich Magistrates' Court.

Last Tuesday he was back in court for sentencing.

Magistrates deemed that Lingham's crimes were so serious that an immediate custodial sentence was justified. He was imprisoned for 18 weeks and handed a 10-year criminal behaviour order banning him from visiting the sites he had taken eggs from. Magistrates also ordered the forfeiture of Lingham's egg collection, which will be passed to the Natural History Museum in London.

RSPB senior investigations officer Mark Thomas said outside court that Lingham was a "one-man crime wave in terms of rare birds in Norfolk".

Lingham had previously been jailed in 2005 for similar offences, in which he took 3,603 eggs from the wild.

He said the latest seizure of eggs was the RSPB's largest since Lingham's previous conviction.

Rupert Masefield, of the RSPB, added he hopes the sentence "sends a strong message".

"It's just not acceptable for people to target wild birds and especially some of the rarest and most threatened birds in this way," he added.

These birds look so much more beautiful in the wild, than their eggs ever could gathering dust in an old bookcase. We hope Lingham's sentence sends out a strong message to other would be human magpies - enjoy our beautiful native wildlife with your eyes, not your hands.