Four men have been ordered to pay out nearly £20,000 after they destroyed a farmer’s field while being equipped to go hare coursing.
Eugene Meenaghan, Joseph Murtagh, Jay Poole, and Jake Reidy arrived in Apley, near Wragby, Lincolnshire, during the early hours of 1 October 2023.
The group, who had travelled there from Doncaster, then drove through a farmer’s field, damaging the land and destroying crops, before attempting to leave the area.
The crime was reported to Lincolnshire Police, with patrolling officers quickly identifying the vehicle and stopping the group near Burton Waters.
Officers found longdogs and equipment such as lamps – used in lamping to stun wild animals before dogs are set loose.
They were arrested and subsequently videos of animal fights were found on their phones.
The men were charged with being equipped to hare course, breach of section nine of the animal welfare act and criminal damage. They pleaded guilty to these charges.
In a ruling this week, officials at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court have told the group to pay out a combined total of nearly £20,000 in costs and compensation.
They were also given a 10-year criminal behaviour order not to enter Lincolnshire with longdogs, and they were disqualified from keeping dogs for a decade.
The men will also have to carry out 100 hours of community service under probation and were asked to forfeit belongings, such as their mobile phones and lamps.
Magistrates described the crimes as ‘cruel and despicable’ and said the events of that night had ‘caused great distress’.
PC Karen Irving said: "This result shows we will use all avenues available to us to bring people to justice and protect our communities and wildlife.
"A huge team effort involving a number of different departments, all with different skills united to demonstrate the strength of our commitment to protecting our rural towns, villages, and hamlets.
"To anyone thinking about travelling to Lincolnshire commit offences, my message is clear – don’t. If we find you, you will be punished.”
