East Sussex Men Encouraged Dogs to Tear Apart Live Rabbits

Two East Sussex men have been convicted of animal cruelty after encouraging dogs to chase live rabbits and rip them apart.

Tyler Rhys Earwaker, 19, of Shalfleet Close, Eastbourne, and Liam David Smith, 20, of Kensington Way, Polegate, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, contrary to section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The maximum penalty for this offence is 26 weeks custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction.

The rabbits in this case were deemed protected animals because they were not truly wild, having been captured and under the control of Earwaker and Smith at the time of the offences. A prosecution under section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004 may have been a suitable alternative in the case of offences involving the non-exempt hunting of wild rabbits with dogs.

The bench at Hastings Magistrates' Court heard how the pair had used carrots to lure rabbits into hunting nets near playgrounds and fields in the Eastbourne area between October 2018 and April 2019. They took the captured rabbits to enclosed areas, let them loose and watched them run in terror as the dogs gave chase and ultimately tore them apart.

The pair used a camera to record their barbarity, sniggering in the background and at one point exclaiming "we're going to get done by the RSPCA you know?"

The animal welfare charity received a tip off about the pair's cruelty in May 2019 and launched an investigation.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: "A warrant was executed by police on 14th May at an address in Eastbourne. RSPCA officers joined police and a number of mobile phones were seized.

"Five dogs were found at the premises - belonging to Earwaker's family - and all appeared in good condition. A number of hutches and cages were located in the garden, some with ferrets inside."

The charity's Inspector Carroll Lamport continued: "We found long hunting nets, often used for catching animals, and a number of animal carriers in the shed and Earwaker told me he used the large trap for rabbits, using carrots as bait. Some of his coats were bloodstained and a number of phones and an iPad were seized."

An examination of the devices seized from Earwaker's property yielded video footage showing that he and Smith had been acting together.

Earwaker, who admitted eight section 4 offences, was handed a 12 month community order with 200 hours unpaid work requirement.

Smith, who admitted two section 4 offences jointly with Earwaker, was handed a 12 month community order with 100 hours unpaid work requirement.

Each defendant was banned from keeping rabbits for at least 5 years, ordered to pay £300 costs and £85 victim surcharge.

The court ordered that the four dogs seized by the RSPCA be returned to their owners.