Three men handed court bill over hare coursing in Oxfordshire
Police have thanked the public for their help in bringing three men from the region to justice in connection with hare coursing in Oxfordshire.
Three men were sentenced for trespassing with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs.
Joseph Smith, 38, of Water Lane, Stourport-on-Seven, Michael Toogood, 26, of Warrant Road in Market Drayton, and Ben Evans, 23, of Radmore Junction in Ryton pleaded guilty to the offence at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
They were each fined £500, and have to pay £85 in costs and a £200 surcharge.
The offence occurred on October 28 last year, when the three men trespassed onto farmland in Letcombe Bassett, Wantage.
They had four lurcher type dogs and were looking for hares, the court heard.
Investigating officer, PC Ryan Dollery, of the rural crime taskforce, said: “The rural crime taskforce is committed to bringing rural crime offenders to justice and we welcome this conviction.
“Thank you to the members of the community for reporting this incident to us, without your information and support we cannot bring these offenders to justice.
“The legislation these males were convicted of only came into effect on August 1 last year, and they are some of the very first offenders in the Thames Valley area to be convicted under this new act.
“The legislation states: specifically, it is illegal to trespass on another person’s land with the intention of: Using a dog to search for, or pursue, a hare, to facilitate or encourage the use of a dog to search for, or pursue, a hare or to enable another person to observe the use of a dog to search for, or pursue, a hare”."
