Huddersfield Town Footballer Turned Poacher

A Huddersfield Town footballer has been convicted of poaching.

Kian Harratt, 20, of Craven Road, Pontefract, admitted daytime poaching when he appeared at Beverley Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 26th October 2022.

His co-accused - Billy Haigh, 20, of Main Street, South Heindley, Barnsley and Codie Colin Smith, 18, of Frickley Bridge Lane, Brierley, Barnsley - also admitted the offence.

Daytime poaching is an offence under section 30 of the Game Act 1831. For offences committed prior to 1st August 2022, as in this case, the maximum penalty on summary conviction is a maximum fine at level 3 (£1,000) or, for offences committed by a group of 5 or more offenders, level 4 (£2,500). For offences committed since 1st August 2022 the maximum penalty on summary conviction is 12 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine.

For this particular piece of legislation, a person is guilty of an offence if they are trespassing on land with the intention of hunting game - even if they don't actually hunt or catch any.

Magistrates heard that the offence took place near the village of Wressle in the East Riding of Yorkshire on Sunday, 3rd April 2022.

The police were contacted by locals who suspected the trio of illegal hare coarsing. Officers stopped a vehicle with the three men, and paraphernalia associated with poaching, found inside. It should be stressed that no actual evidence of hare coarsing was found.

Harratt was on loan to Port Vale at the time of the offence. Until today he was on loan to Bradford City, but The Bantams have just terminated that arrangement and returned the striker to Huddersfield Town.

Harratt was fined £830 and ordered to pay £150 towards prosecution costs and £83 surcharge; Haigh was fined £519 and ordered to pay £150 towards prosecution costs and £52 surcharge; Smith was fined £173 and ordered to pay £150 towards prosecution costs and £34 surcharge.

Sergeant Kevin Jones of Humberside Police said: "This conviction shows that the Rural Task Force will deal strongly with those offenders that visit our Force area to commit hare coursing offences.

"Along with the criminal offences, the offenders are dealt with via the local authority's antisocial behaviour team.

"I would like to thank the members of the public and landowners who witnessed this incident and who reported it and support our investigation.

"We will not tolerate the barbaric act of hare coursing, not only causing unimaginable suffering to our wildlife but also causing issues for local landowners who are often the subject of antisocial behaviour and damage to their land and property."