Men sentenced for hunting deer and hares with dogs

Two men have been sentenced for using dogs to illegally hunt deer and hares in Derbyshire.

Derbyshire Police arrested Raphael Stone and Dominic Parker after they were spotted with two dogs off leads on fields in Morley on 9 April.

The pair pleaded guilty to hunting a wild mammal with dogs and trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court on 4 July.

Police said such offences were cruel to both the hunted animals and the dogs used to pursue them.

Parker, 24, of Michigan Close, Derby, who also admitted possession of two lock knives found in his car, was given a 17-week suspended jail term, ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work, pay £585 court costs and a victim surcharge of £154.

The court ordered the knives be destroyed.

Stone, 27, of Hartcliffe Close, Derby, was given a community order with 40 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £500 costs with a £114 victim surcharge.

Sgt Chris Wilkinson, from the police's rural crime team, said: "Illegal hunting and wildlife crime can have a really serious effect on farmers and landowners, leaving them not only feeling intimidated by someone trespassing on their land but often financially affected, too.

"Derbyshire has diverse wildlife to be proud of and these crimes are cruel on both the animals hunted and the dogs used by the offenders."

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