Men sentenced for hunting deer with a dog

It is an offence to hunt wild mammals with dogs

Two men have been sentenced for illegally hunting deer with a dog.

Richard Bostock and Dani Simpson pleaded guilty at Lincoln Magistrates' Court earlier to charges under the hunting act.

It followed a police investigation into reports of a deer being hunted and killed on 19 April at Hanby, near Grantham.

Both men were handed a seven-year criminal behaviour order, which includes a ban on them entering any county in the East Midlands with a dog.

The court also ordered a seizure of property, including a lamp and a dog.

Bostock, 41, of Colwyn Street in Marsh, Huddersfield, was ordered to pay £85 in costs and a victim surcharge of £96.

Simpson, 34, of Wellfield Bank in Crossland Moor, Huddersfield, was ordered to pay £85 in costs and a victim surcharge of £114.

He also received a community order, which combines rehabilitation and community service instead of a prison sentence.

With a few exemptions, using dogs to hunt wild mammals, such as foxes, rats and rabbits, is illegal, Lincolnshire Police said.

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