Hunting is in a spot of bother

Report in The Guardian after day 1 of the trial of the MFHA Director.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...8dyDHxYuD0KPp3yQhaE_T8CaaWMEsjLYZO9AD_kRTAoME

An application by Hankinson’s defence to strike out the video evidence, on the grounds it was obtained by fraud, was refused by the deputy senior district judge, Tan Ikram. Hankinson’s barrister, Richard Lissack QC, then sought to cast aspersions against the hunt saboteurs who obtained the video.
 
The trial continues tomorrow, where the defendant Mark Hankinson is expected to give evidence.

Interesting choice of witness for the defence. A master who found it difficult to recall that a countryman/terrierman employed by his own pack had been found guilty of interfering with a badger sett on a hunting day in 2015. The judge was right onto that one.
 
The trial in magistrates' court has been adjourned after today's proceedings, in which Mark Hankinson (amongst others) gave evidence, to reconvene at 2pm on 15 October.

Today was the third day of a trial which was originally scheduled to last 2 days. Time constraints of both the judge and the lawyers mean that final submissions are to be made in writing. MH is required to attend court in person to hear the verdict.

Rupert Evelyn of ITV has been in court following proceedings, and provided Twitter updates as they progressed. Hope this link works, I'm not really a Twitter person.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1440646521129607182
 
Verdict on October 15th, then? This is going to be really interesting, it's all going to hang, I think, on whether the defence lawyer has been sharp enough to inject enough reasonable doubt.
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As an anti, Id be delighted to see the end of "trail" hunting. "Accidents" should never be allowed to happen, clearly they happen regularly (whether by accident or not) therefore it cannot continue.

Please try not to bring hunting into this part of the forum - leave it in the hunting area. I realise this is a pro-hunting magazing forum however it also just happens to be one of the best/busiest forums for general horse info hence many of us here Im sure are not supportive of hunting and would rather avoid the chat about it.
 
https://petition.parliament.uk/peti...xb_O2l6rWYN1RG15B4MP3RRq2VgjNRZoARqUy7FlXDeQU

I've just signed this petition, which I've only just become aware of- they're campaigning to ban any form of hunting in residential or public areas to try and stop people's pets being involved in "accidents" following the death of their poor pet cat who's no doubt been mentioned and discussed up thread.

Unfortunately reading the government's response it sounds like hunting, not the safety of people's beloved pets comes first ?

If I was lucky enough to have land they'd be Forbidden from crossing it

I agree with @MagicMelon and would be in full support of trail hunting being banned there's no need for it anymore
 
Miss_Millie said:
I hope that Mark Hankinson is punished appropriately for encouraging others to break the law. It will send out a clear message that fox hunting will not be tolerated. Crazy that it was banned way back in 2004...he must have thought he was untouchable.
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He has to be found guilty yet and a clever lawyer will be able to find a number of ways to inject "reasonable doubt" into the things that were said. It's by no means a foregone conclusion.
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As someone who supports LEGAL and LEGITIMATE trail hunting, I think the only way hunting will ever have a future in a modern society is to condemn those who still allow illegal hunting to continue.
I hunt regularly with my local pack who are most certainly a trail hunt. When other hunts continue to behave in an illegal manner and show no regard for the law, they drag the rest of us down with them.
If hunting is to cling on then something needs to change.
 
Gallop_Away said:
As someone who supports LEGAL and LEGITIMATE trail hunting, I think the only way hunting will ever have a future in a modern society is to condemn those who still allow illegal hunting to continue.
I hunt regularly with my local pack who are most certainly a trail hunt. When other hunts continue to behave in an illegal manner and show no regard for the law, they drag the rest of us down with them.
If hunting is to cling on then something needs to change.
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Some of my best and most exhilarating rides were drag/ trail hunting. I have absolutely no issue with that at all. Reading some commeon fb unfortunately a lot of people don't know the difference and put it all under one umbrella. I for one would love to see hunting completely banned. Blood hounds and trail fine with me.
 
According to the defendant no one said anything inappropriate but later on claims that Lord Benjamin Mancroft was "taken to task" about a "poor joke" regarding foxes being killed on trail hunts.

Talk about tying yourself in knots.
 
I took a visiting Australian out to watch the hunt a couple of years ago as he wanted the whole English experience. They killed 3 foxes quite shamelessly. Although I had asked the secretary if it was OK for me to come and she kindly arranged for 2 other supporters to explain everything to my friend, it was quite shocking.

The huntsman has since moved on to a smarter pack, and I think this hunt is a little bit better now?
 
canteron said:
I took a visiting Australian out to watch the hunt a couple of years ago as he wanted the whole English experience. They killed 3 foxes quite shamelessly. Although I had asked the secretary if it was OK for me to come and she kindly arranged for 2 other supporters to explain everything to my friend, it was quite shocking.

The huntsman has since moved on to a smarter pack, and I think this hunt is a little bit better now?
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Absolutely disgusting, this is why it so infuriating when certain individuals chat such utter rubbish saying all hunts act within the law. Whilst there may be some that do, I have only ever seen one hunt actively try and avoid killing foxes with trails, though that’s changed again and they are now back hunting.

We never sab drag/blood/clean boot, we have no need to, but we do sab hunts that we know are actively hunting foxes. If they weren’t hunting illegally we would not be there.

Regardless of the outcome of this trial, it’s obvious what all the masters, ex coppers etc were discussing.

Hunting foxes has had its day, some “people” need to accept that.
 
Bumping, as I guess the verdict is on Friday.
Fascinating case on so many levels - have the hunting Lobby (nice people do hunt but there are a lot who believe in their natural superiority over the rabble) managed to get over themselves enough to produce a proper defence?
 
Guilty. This is massive.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-10-15...-hankinson-found-guilty-of-hunting-act-breach

One of Britain’s leading huntsmen has been found guilty of encouraging or assisting others to commit an offence under the Hunting Act.

Mark Hankinson was a director of the Hunting Office that runs the sport. He was caught in a leaked online training webinar in 2020 telling hunts how to hunt illegally. `

A spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association said:-

“We’re delighted that Mark Hankinson has been found guilty and the sentence is of little importance. This result shows that he, and indeed the entire hunting community, are guilty of perpetrating a smokescreen to hide their illegal hunting for the past 15 years.

We now demand that the rest of the panel – Lord Mancroft, ex-police Inspector Phil Davies, ex-police officer Paul Jelley, Alice Bowden and Richard Tyacke also face charges for their part in this conspiracy. We also demand that the major landowners permanently suspend any hunting on their land.

I agree. The verdict is entirely the correct one. The only surprise is that MH is the only panel member to be charged to date.
 
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Guilty, just as us “anti’s” have known all along …..Trail Hunting is a lie and always has been. A smokescreen for hunting and killing foxes, everyone who participates in hunting knew what was going on and let it happen. You are all just as guilty.

Hunting should now be banned full stop.

As someone who has witnessed the brutal killing of many many foxes over the years at the jaws of the trail hunts, well you have finally been exposed as the wildlife criminals you are.
 
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