Hare courses banned from entering Lincolnshire and fined

Two men have been banned from entering Lincolnshire during hare coursing season for the next 10 years after being found guilty of taking part in the criminal activity near two villages. George Miller, 32, and Lewis Sheridan, 37, were seen walking across arable land with their two dogs, a beige long dog, and a black long dog; the dogs were seen chasing and catching hares.

The pair were seen near the villages of Twenty and West Pinchbeck and have been ordered to pay more than £4,500. They've also been handed Criminal Behaviour Orders banning them from the county during hare coursing season, for the next 10 years.

The incident took place on Friday October 13 last year. The pair had travelled from Lancashire and Greater Manchester to commit the crime.

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Sheridan and Millar were arrested when their car was seen and stopped by officers from Lincolnshire Police's Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT). Their car was seized along with the two dogs and other property believed to be used in the commission of their illegal activities.

The property included three thermal cameras, a video camera and four mobile phones. In interview the men used the excuse that they had the landowner’s permission to undertake pest control and that is why they were at the location; hare coursing is illegal so no such permission can ever be granted for those activities.

Sheridan and Miller pleaded guilty at Boston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 1 May to hunting a wild mammal with a dog, contrary to Schedule 1 of the Hunting Act 2004.

PC Karen Irving, Rural Crime Action Team, said: “With the support of the farming community, our team, along with response officers, neighbourhood teams and other resources from the force, focus on bringing offenders before the courts. These offenders are people who inflict such outdated cruelty and terror upon our wildlife.

"I believe the defendants both relinquished their dogs so that kennelling costs were not adding up, which they do daily. The welfare of the dogs is our main concern as we can rehome them much sooner than waiting for a potential court order.

“Notwithstanding the real cruelty and horror of these offences, the farmers have their land and crops damaged and that can have long term financial consequences. The farmer in this case has supported us throughout our investigation and we’re very grateful for their help.”

George Miller, Loupsefell Drive, Morecambe, Lancashire, and Lewis Sheridan, Thicketford Road, Bolton both received Criminal Behaviour Orders for 10 years. This means they must not enter onto any private land in the counties of Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire or Nottinghamshire between the recognised hare coursing season, 31 July to 30 April, with a sighthound, ground, long dog or lurcher type dog or cross breed or be in the company of any other people with that type of dog.

They must not be on any land in Lincolnshire with any non-excluded dog, without the express written permission of the private landowner. Both men relinquished ownership of their dogs which have subsequently been rehomed.