GEORGE ADAMS OF PETERBOROUGH CONVICTED FOR ILLEGAL FOX KILLING BY HOUNDS IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE

George Adams, a huntsman from Peterborough, has been found guilty of breaching the Hunting Act after a court determined that he was responsible for the death of a fox during a hunt in Cambridgeshire. Adams, born around 1951 and residing at Ramshill Cottages, Stamford Road, Peterborough PE6 7EZ, was in charge of a pack of hounds belonging to the Fitzwilliam Hunt when the incident occurred on January 1, 2016.

According to court proceedings, the hunt commenced in Wansford, Cambridgeshire, and the pack of hounds eventually tracked and killed the fox near Elton. The court heard testimony from saboteurs Ruth Nichols and Stephen Milton, who had been tracking the hunt and provided video footage showing approximately 40 hounds in pursuit, with the sound of a hunting horn clearly audible. Mr. Milton stated that he observed the hunt tracking the fox and did not hear any calls to warn the animals or to call off the hounds.

Adams, who joined the Fitzwilliam Hunt in 1981 and became a huntsman in 1984, testified that he did not see the fox before it was killed. When questioned about whether it was his intention to kill the fox with the hounds, Adams responded, “Absolutely not. We wanted to flush it out for the bird of prey.”

In contrast, co-defendant John Mease, of 3 Kennels Cottages, Milton Park, Peterborough PE6 7AB, was acquitted of the charges. Court records revealed that Mease, who was present at the hunt with a golden eagle, was not responsible for causing unnecessary cruelty to animals related to fox hunting in 2013. The court also cleared him of using the bird of prey to catch animals, as well as of 'dispatching' another fox by driving a knife through its eye after it was caught by his raptor.

During the trial, Mease explained that he could not release his golden eagle to catch the fox because saboteurs were present in the field, posing a risk to the bird. When asked why he did not communicate with Adams to call off the hunt, Mease stated that the situation was highly fluid and changing rapidly, and that it was the first time he had encountered saboteurs in his eleven years of involvement. He emphasized that he was responsible for the bird but had no control over the pack of hounds, which was Adams’ responsibility.

Following the verdict, Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson Lee Moon expressed their views, stating that it was evident to witnesses that a wild mammal was hunted and killed illegally in a gruesome manner. Moon praised the police for their thorough investigation and criticized the loopholes and exemptions in the current legislation, which he claimed are exploited by hunts to continue their activities despite the ban. He highlighted that the judge confirmed that hunting with a full pack of hounds is fundamentally different from falconry, and that the verdict could have broader implications for similar hunts across the country.

Adams was sentenced to a fine of £1,000 and ordered to pay £950 in costs. The case underscores ongoing concerns about illegal hunting practices and the efforts of hunt saboteurs and law enforcement to combat wildlife cruelty in the region.