Lincolnshire Badger Baiters Banned from Keeping Dogs

Two Lincolnshire men have been banned from keeping dogs for five years, after admitting offences relating to badger baiting.

Murphy Thorne, of Gray Street, and Dale Shields, of Laburnum Avenue, both in Gainsborough, each admitted charges of interfering with a badger sett and attempting to kill a badger, when they appeared at Mansfield Magistrates' Court on 4th September 2019.

Attempting to kill, injure of take a badger is an offence under section 1 of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. Interfering with a badger sett, which includes damaging, destroying, obstructing or releasing dogs into a sett, is an offence under section 3 of the Act.

Each of these summary offences has a maximum penalty of 26 weeks custody and/or a fine at level 5 (unlimited).

A gamekeeper spotted the pair acting suspiciously on farmland near Beckingham on 7th April 2019. Sufficiently concerned by his observations he alerted the police, who later arrested Thorne and Shields close to the location of a damaged badger sett. The court heard how Thorne told police: "I don't get paid for doing it, but do it as a sport and it is something I enjoy."

When searched upon their arrest Thorne and Shields had various items of badger baiting paraphernalia in their possession. The police also seized two dogs fitted with radio collars, which had received facial injuries consistent with them fighting badgers. One dog was in a collapsed state at the scene due to exhaustion.

RSPCA inspector Keith Ellis said: "The gamekeeper said he could see the men jump into a six-foot hole which they had dug down into the badger sett so he called the police.

"When they attended the scene it was clear that the sett had been interfered with and there were spades nearby.

"The dogs were wearing radio-collars which are used so the owners can locate where they are underground and when the dogs locate the badger the handlers dig down and usually kill the badger."

No dead badgers were recovered from the scene, but a badger expert witness told the court that the sett had been active and recently disturbed. Inspector Ellis suggested that badgers might have been killed deep within the sett.

Thorne and Shields were each sentenced to 18 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months. They were each ordered to pay £300 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

The court also made an order banning the pair from keeping dogs for five years and forfeiting the two injured dogs to the RSPCA.

A third man denied the offences and his trial will take place at a later date.