south east / greater london hare coursing gangs Animal Abuser

CONVICTED (2024) | Group 1: Mark Dean from Chessington, London Borough of Kingston, Henry Smith from Leatherhead, Surrey, Miley Smith from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, and Callum King from Eversley, Hampshire.

Group 2: Jimmy Lee from Wokingham, Berkshire, Wayne Shelley from Crowthorne, Berkshire, Edward Connors from Horley, Surrey and Albert Eastwood from Redhill, Surrey – caught hare coursing in Norfolk.

The eight men – all members of the travelling community – were convicted of hare coursing in Norfolk under new legislation aimed at tackling the offence.

Two separate reports of hare coursing led to the men being arrested in 2023.

The first incident happened in the Walpole Highway area of Downham Market on 12 October 2023 when four men were arrested and three dogs seized.

Appearing at King’s Lynn Magistrates Court on Thursday 25 January 2024 all four admitted the offence of trespassing in pursuit of game and criminal damage to the field.

They were each ordered to pay fines and costs and banned from keeping dogs for two years: L-R Miley Smith, Callum King, Henry Smith.

Mark Dean, born c.

1998, of the Oaks Caravan Site, Woodstock Lane South, Chessington KT9 1UE was fined £250, ordered to pay £100 victim surcharge, £105 prosecution costs, £250 compensation /ithe damage to the field and £425 towards the cost of kennelling the dogs.

Henry Smith, born 1 July 1988, of Oveton Way, Great Bookham, Leatherhead KT23 4ND was fined £250, ordered to pay £100 victim surcharge, £105 prosecution costs, £250 compensation for the damage to the field and £425 towards the cost of kennelling the dogs.

Miley Smith, born 8 February 1995, of the Fairplace Hill Caravan Site, Fairbridge Way, Burgess Hill RH15 8GL, was fined £200, ordered to pay £80 victim surcharge, £105 prosecution costs, £250 compensation for the damage to the field and £425 towards the cost of kennelling the dogs.

Callum George Ernest King, born August 1995, of 8 Lower Common, Eversley, Hook RG27 0QT, also pleaded guilty to an additional offence of driving without insurance during the same incident and was fined £416, ordered to pay £166 victim surcharge, £105 prosecution costs, £250 compensation for the damage to the field and £425 towards the cost of kennelling the dogs.

The court ordered the three dogs to be forfeited and they will now be rehomed.

L-R Albert Eastwood, Jimmy Lee, Edward Connors The second incident was reported on 10 December 2023 around the Barroway Drove area of Downham Market where another four men were arrested and two dogs seized.

All four pleaded guilty to the offence of trespassing in pursuit of game at King’s Lynn Magistrates Court on Thursday 25 January 2024.

Jimmy Lee, born 30 August 1985, of Park Lane, Finchampstead, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 4PY was fined £500, ordered to pay £200 victim surcharge, £105 prosecution costs, and £216 towards the cost of kennelling the dogs.

Wayne Shelley, born c.

1973, of Wokingham Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire RG45 was fined £500, ordered to pay £200 victim surcharge, £105 prosecution costs, and £216 towards the cost of kennelling the dogs.

Edward Connors, born 9 June 1995, of Trentham, Peeks Brook Lane, Horley, Surrey RH6 9PP was fined £500, ordered to pay £200 victim surcharge, £105 prosecution costs, and £216 towards the cost of kennelling the dogs.

Albert Eastwood, born 24 September 1995, of 57 Denton Close, Redhill RH1 5LB was fined £600, ordered to pay £240 victim surcharge, £105 prosecution costs, and £216 towards the cost of kennelling the dogs.

The court ordered the two dogs to be forfeited and these will now be rehomed.

All eight were issued with a two-year court order banning them from owning or keeping dogs.

Norfolk Police Lynn News Additional Information One of those convicted for hare coursing, Callum King from Eversley, Hook, Hampshire, has uploaded several graphic images to his Facebook profile depicting his illegal hunting with dogs, with many involving foxes and deer.

Update | September 2024 Albert Eastwood Jr has been ordered to pay more than £12,000.

He has also been hit with a 10-year criminal behaviour order with stipulations banning him from entering Lincolnshire and four other counties during hare coursing season, as well as being told he cannot keep dogs for 15 years.

Eastwood was one of four men who ran from a Mercedes vehicle after it crashed during police pursuit at Holbeach St Marks in January 2024.

In the vehicle officers discovered three dogs, slip leads, walkie talkies and a dog tracking device while Eastwood’s phone was later found to have images and messages relating to hare coursing.

“At 9.30am on January 27 police responded to a call from a member of the public regarding hare coursing at Middle Marsh Road and Eastern Road,” said prosecutor Jade Salter.

“The vehicle was driving over farmland and a short pursuit followed before the vehicle was abandoned, having crashed.

“Four men ran off in various directions over fields and dykes.

The defendant was seen running away to the back of a property, where he was arrested.” Ms Salter told magistrates Eastwood’s mobile phone was seized and ‘voice messages talking about hare coursing’ were found.

“There was video and audio relating to hare coursing and stills showed men with long dogs and dead animals on the bonnet of a vehicle.” Eastwood – who has five previous convictions for day poaching and was convicted of daytime trespass in search of game two days before this incident – pleaded guilty to being equipped for pursuing hares with dogs when he appeared in court in Wednesday September 11, 2024.

Defending Eastwood, Jason Patel said his client didn’t realise he was going coursing that day.

“He was going with them to land where he believed they had permission to hunt rabbits,” he explained.

“Once up there the others expressed an intention of what they were doing.” The prosecution called for Eastwood to foot the kennelling bill of £11,536.50 for the dogs.

Mr Patel argued the defendant was seen on police body cam footage saying the dogs weren’t his upon his arrest, and was unable to sign them over to the police as that would have been fraudulent.

However, magistrates ordered Eastwood to foot the bill as well as paying a £750 fine and £85 court costs.

He was also banned from keeping dogs for 15 years and handed a behaviour order than prohibits him entering Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire with dogs or coursing equipment between July 31 and April 30 for the next decade.

LincsOnline