On Monday 21st January, Stuart Harrison from the Claro Beagles was found not guilty of illegally hunting a hare by District Judge Fanning at York Magistrates' Court.
The allegation related to the Claro Beagles meet on 21st October 2017 yet the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) waited until 20th March 2018 to submit their video footage. The video footage, obtained as part of a covert operation conducted by Greg Metcalfe, Jane Blades, and Roger Swaine, alleged that Mr Harrison had illegally hunted a hare.
The trial was due to last for two days but was concluded mid-afternoon on the first day. The District Judge accepted that Mr Harrison, a man of good character, had not intentionally allowed his hound to pursue a hare and consequently found him not guilty.
An order was made that the costs incurred in defending Mr Harrison should be paid out of Central Funds.
Polly Portwin, Head of Hunting at the Countryside Alliance commented: "We are delighted with the result. However, such a spurious allegation should not have gone this far. These constant and unfounded allegations made by animal rights activists result in hundreds of hours of wasted police and court time which is totally unacceptable."