Woman saw 'hounds savage fox in her garden'

A woman has told a court she was "frightened and upset" when a fox was savaged by a pack of dogs in her garden.

Four men are on trial at Great Yarmouth Magistrates' Court accused of fox hunting in Hingham, near Watton, and Tittleshall, near Fakenham, in February 2023.

Prosecutors argued that on 8 February and 20 February 2023, dogs on two trail hunts were dangerously out of control, causing criminal damage and killing a fox.

Robert Gurney, Edward Bell, Adam Egginton and Andrew Kendall deny all charges.

Kim Thomas, who lives in Hingham with her daughter, Daisy Ford, told the court she was woken from an afternoon nap by the sound of baying hounds.

When she investigated, she found the entrails and fur from a fox on the patio, and called her daughter to check the CCTV footage.

"That's when I saw there was a big area covered in blood," she said.

"I was incredibly frightened and upset. I have a two-year-old grandson, and there were perhaps 30 dogs going crazy on the patio."

As the footage was shown, District Judge Matthew Bone warned those present in court that the images were graphic.

A camera on the patio showed a fox, with baying hounds heard getting closer and more frantic. Within 20 seconds, the hounds were running past the patio and a horn and voices could be heard commanding the dogs.

Another camera showed the hounds congregate around the fox. A few minutes later a man was seen climbing over a fence, heading into the pack of hounds and leaving with the remains of the dead animal.

In a statement, Ms Ford said: "There were entrails and blood all over the patio and hundreds of dirty paw prints."

She said she received a call from Mr Bell offering to clean up the mess, but she told him her husband had already done so.

Mr Gurney, 55, from Bawdeswell, near Dereham, and Mr Kendall, 67, from Henstead, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, are both masters with the West Norfolk Hunt.

Mr Bell, 31, and Mr Egginton, 23, were both of the West Norfolk Hunt Kennels in Necton, near Swaffham, although Mr Egginton now lives in Worcester.

They are all charged with being the owner or person in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control, and another count of hunting a wild mammal with dogs.

Mr Kendall, Mr Bell and Mr Egginton are also charged with criminal damage to a horse, a fence and a patio.

Earlier in the trial, hunt saboteur Sally Field said she witnessed the hunt set off on a trail from a farm at Tittleshall.

The court was shown footage from Ms Field of a fox running across a field with hounds in close pursuit.

In commentary, she said: "They are hunting this fox. Where's the police?"

Minutes later, Ms Field said that the fox was "about to meet its maker" as the dogs caught up with it.

"I could hear sounds that I would say, in my experience, are encouraging hounds on. I could hear the hounds cry," she told the court.

Mark Jackson, prosecuting, asked: "Did you hear or see any signals or sounds to call the hunt off?"

"None. Quite the contrary," she replied.

Stephen Welford, defending all four men, suggested that what Ms Field had described as a pack of hounds had been a flock of sheep.

Ms Field said that was not the case.

The trial was adjourned until Thursday.

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