Two members of West Norfolk Hunt group from Necton convicted of illegal fox hunting after incidents at Hingham and Tittleshall
*Content warning: Distressing images and video below*
Two members of a hunt group in West Norfolk have been convicted of illegal fox hunting after a pack of hounds entered a private garden and “pulled a fox to pieces” last year.
Adam Egginton, 23, and Edward Bell, 31, both of Moor Lane in Necton, appeared at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court today following a three-day trial.
They were found guilty of hunting a wild mammal with dogs on February 8 and February 20, 2023, and were ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £1,700 each.
The pair had denied the charges and were acquitted of two further charges of causing criminal damage and having dogs dangerously out of control, which they had also denied.
Two other men, joint huntmasters Andrew Kendall, 67, of Hulver Road, Henstead, and Robert Gurney, 55, of Bawdeswell, were cleared of all charges.
During the trial, the court was shown CCTV video of the West Norfolk Hunt and a pack of 38 hounds in the area of Hingham.
The footage, captured by a domestic security camera, shows the fox entering a courtyard area followed by the pack of dogs who “pull it into pieces” and the mess that is left behind.
A few moments later, an unidentified member of the hunt jumps the fence, removes the fox, and hides it under his coat.
Bell and Egginton are then seen and heard making efforts to call the dogs back. They eventually regroup and return to the northern side of the road where they had permission to trail hunt.
The householder said, in a victim personal statement, that since the incident the family had installed further gates and protection at their home.
The statement described how their property, security and privacy had been “violated” by the hunt and how they felt “on edge” when using their patio for fear of uncontrolled hounds.
The statement went on: “Emotionally it is extremely distressing that we had to clean up the aftermath of the hounds ripping apart a poor lonesome fox on our patio.
“The hunters kindly left us the pleasure of removing the intestines, kidneys, fox fur, and blood from our blood-stained patio.
“I had to explain this to my three-year-old. Why should she be exposed to this in her home?”
The court was also told about another earlier incident involving the same hunt group.
This incident happened in Titteshall on February 8, 2023 - with footage handed to Norfolk Police appearing to show dogs on the trail of a live fox.
On this day, Bell and Egginton were also present and in charge of the dogs.
Although trail hunting is legal - in which dogs and riders follow an artificial scent along an agreed route - it has been illegal to hunt foxes in England for 20 years.
PC Chris Shelly of Norfolk Police’s wildlife crime team Operation Randall said: “These two incidents clearly show these dogs intentionally hunting wild mammals in public areas placing other wild mammals, pets, and the wider public at risk because of their behaviour.
“We presented two cases of illegal hunting which go against the hunting act and we hope offers reassurance that Norfolk Constabulary will always deal robustly with any such illegal activity.”