Barnsley and Wakefield men – hare coursing near Goole

Elijah Boswell, 38, of Smithy’s Lane in Barnsley, and Shaun Price, 54, of Dunningly Lane in Wakefield, were both fined for hare coursing offences, after a trial held at Beverley Magistrates’ Court last week.

Boswell was ordered to pay £1,061, while Price, was fined £1,339.

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The incident took place in December 2023 in Faxfleet, Goole, and after receiving reports, officers stopped a vehicle near the scene and found lurcher-type dogs and a thermal scope.

Both men gave no explanation for the items during police interviews.

PC Rich Fussey of the Rural Task Force said: “Illegal hare coursing is not only a priority for our Rural Task Force, but also for the UK Wildlife Crime partnership.

“This kind of criminality involved is serious, and perpetrators are organised and sophisticated in their planning, often involving cross-border offending.”

“Not only does it involve barbaric acts against protected wildlife species, but it causes harassment, alarm, distress and annoyance to the rural communities.

“Poachers do not care about trespassing across farmland, intimidation to farmers and landowners, and the damage they cause. However, they do care about the zero-tolerance response that we have towards their illegal activities.

“I hope this case and the seizure of the thermal scope used in the commission of hare coursing offences sends out a strong message.”

The public are urged to report suspected hare coursing by calling 101 and quoting Op Galileo.