Five men appear in court for hare coursing offences in Ely
Vehicle confiscated after hare coursing in Thorney - Credit: Archant
Five men have appeared in court in connection with hare coursing offences in Ely.
Hare coursing has soared in Cambridgeshire in recent years - Credit: Archant
Five men have appeared in court in connection with hare coursing offences in Ely.
Officers were called to West End Road at about 12.10pm on October 16 last year by a member of public who spotted hare coursers driving and walking with dogs across nearby fields.
Police from the Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT), who were in the area at the time, spotted their silver Honda but they failed to stop when requested.
These two dogs were abandoned between Earith and Haddenham when officers from the police's Rural Crime Action Team attended an incident of hare coursing. - Credit: Archant
The men continued to drive across cultivated stubble fields before abandoning their car and running off.
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Clifford Gale, 55, John Cash, 29, and Miles Cash, 36, all of Farnborough, Hampshire and Patrick Cash, 27, and Damien Price, 29, both of Maidstone, Kent were detained and reported for hare coursing/poaching offences under Section 30 of the Game Act. Their vehicle was seized and scrapped.
On August 30 (Wednesday) they appeared at Cambridge Magistrates Court by summons where Patrick Cash was found guilty of obstructing police and given a £100 fine. Gale was found guilty of failing to stop and driving without insurance. He received £85 costs and a fine of £383.
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Miles Cash, John Cash and Damien Price were found not guilty of hare coursing offences.
PC Alun Bradshaw said: “Our message is simple – don’t come coursing in Cambridgeshire. Driving hare coursing out of the county is a priority for the Rural Crime Action Team and we will use all of the powers available to us to prevent it.”
Anyone who sees hare coursing taking place is asked to call police immediately on 999 and provide officers with a description of the people involved, any registration numbers, vehicle descriptions and the location or direction of travel.
Last year (April 2016-March 2017) officers were called to 1,069 incidents of hare coursing, an increase of 44 per cent on the previous year (April 2015-March 2016 742 incidents). The figures include 354 incidents in East Cambridgeshire and 130 in Fenland.
If you have information about hare coursing but it’s not currently happening or you have been a victim of the crime, call 101 or report online at www.contactcambspolice.uk/report
