A pair of poachers have been banned from keeping dogs after being caught hare coursing in Aberdeenshire and elsewhere.
Alexander Stewart, 35, of Aberdeen and Jackie Stewart, 42, from Fife, pled guilty at Forfar Sheriff Court to wildlife offences carried out in 2020.
The court previously heard that in the early morning of Sunday November 8 2020, a local farmer spotted a Subaru belonging to Alexander Stewart in the Redwell Farm and the Balindarg area of Angus, near Forfar.
They called police because the same car had been used in earlier hare coursing incidents.
One witness saw one of the men with a lurcher-type dog and was left in no doubt that they were hare coursing.
Police arrived and both Stewart and three boys were detained.
The mens’ mobile phones were sent for analysis and Alexander Stewart’s was found to hold several voice note messages.
One from October 16 said he had bought a dog to kill hares.
Another on October 20 said he was buying a Subaru to go poaching.
Listen – voice notes evidence:
A further message from November 1 said he had been poaching in Aberdeen.
His phone also had a photo of a young boy holding a dead hare beside a lurcher on October 30.
Jackie Stewart’s phone revealed a text message from November 3 that two days earlier “a first chase killed it over down a road”.
It also held a video of him with Alexander Stewart and the boys on November 8 2020, discussing the decline of hares in the area due to them being killed.
Both men admitted hunting with several dogs at various locations in Aberdeenshire and Angus.
Alexander Stewart, of Miltonfold in Bucksburn, was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
Jackie Stewart, 42, of Methil, was fined £1000.
Car and phone confiscated
Father-of-three Alexander Stewart’s solicitor Nick Markowski said his client was involved in three incidents between October 16 and November 8.
He said: “He’s currently unemployed and doesn’t appear to be keeping the best of health at present.
“He is from a Travelling Community background. He lives in temporary accommodation. The site where he normally resides is being renovated.
“He advises me that he is remorseful.
“He was spending a lot of time with associates that he hadn’t spent very much time with.
“He got involved with this over a short period.
“He has no continuing interest in that type of lifestyle.
“He doesn’t have a dog at present.
“He didn’t already own a dog at that particular time.”
He said his client’s car – worth £500 to £600 – and his phone had already been forfeited, resulting in a financial loss.
Fear for dogs
Jackie Stewart’s solicitor Lewis Faulds said: “Mr Stewart takes responsibility and accepts his behaviour was unacceptable.
“It’s a course of conduct which has caused him great difficulty.
“He’s someone who has had dogs throughout all of his life.
“He’s very anxious about the prospect of being disqualified from keeping dogs.”
He added that although his client is listed as being from Clinterty Caravan Park in Aberdeenshire in court papers, he lives in a Ford Transit van parked in a field near Methil.
Sentence welcomed
Sentencing, Sheriff Krista Johnston imposed a six-month ban on both accused keeping dogs.
She said: “I’m sure you’re both aware that society moves on and things once acceptable are very clearly identified as unacceptable.
“This fits that category.
“You must not commit this kind of offence again.
Speaking after the sentencing, Fiona Caldwell, Head of the Crown’s Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit said: “Hare coursing is a cruel and wholly illegal act.
“The Crown will continue to work to ensure that anyone who hunts hares with dogs is brought to justice.
“We would encourage anyone who may have information on hare coursing to contact the police.”
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