Three hare coursers are £52,000 worse off having been caught in Donington.
Lincolnshire’s Rural Crime Action Team led to the men facing fines, kennelling fees and costs as well as receiving a ten-year Criminal Behaviour Order.
Their dogs, and equipment, were seized by officers and the coursers were also banned from driving.
Samuel Sheady senior, Samuel Sheady junior and Jason Davis were arrested on November 29, 2022 after seen hare coursing off Shoff Drove area near Donington. They had also been seen in Kirton.
They were travelling in a green VW Toureg (below) which damaged crops as it was driven across fields.
They had four lurcher-type dogs which were seen to chase a hare across a field, eventually killing it.
Sheady senior (44), of Wrexham, Sheady junior (23), of Wrexham and Davis (35), of Lower Ecton Road, Northampton, admitted being equipped for searching or pursuing hares with dogs.
They had originally denied the offences when appearing before Lincoln Magistrates’ Court in June last year. But they changed their plea and were sentenced last week.
They were also ordered to pay kennelling fees of £15,900 each, a total of £47,700 and were handed the behaviour order which covers Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire and bans them from entering any private land with a sight hound, greyhound or lurcher from July 31 to April 30 – the recognised coursing season.
The four dogs found with the men at the time of their arrest have been forfeited and will be rehomed.
All three men were banned from driving for a year. Davis and Sheady junior were fined £700 and orderd to pay £280 Victim Surcharge and £500 costs.
Sheady senior was fined £750 and ordered to pay £300 victim surcharge and £500 costs.
Their vehicle, night vision goggles, mobile phone and dog training equipment were also seized along with cash found at the scene.
Several officers from the Specialist Operations Team were involved in locating and arresting the men.
Their VW Toureg was seen on the A17 but the driver accelerated away across a residential lawn before crashing into a fence. The three men fled but were chased and caught.
One of the men had tried to hide a thermal imaging camera and mobile phone under a large agricultural reel. But both items were recovered and seized.
Four dogs were in the vehicle, one wearing a tracker. They were taken to a kennel to be looked after while awaiting the hearing and will be found safe homes.
“This sends out a clear message to anyone thinking of coming into Lincolnshire to carry out such a cruel activity such as hare coursing,” said PC Chris Windsor-Beck.
“We will simply not accept this barbaric activity and anyone who comes into the county hare coursing can expect to face the full force of the law.
“I would like to thank members of our rural community in helping to tackle hare coursing by reporting incidents, and to feel confident action will be taken if reported to police.”
Hare coursing is illegal and attending or helping is also a crime.
