Quorn Hunt: Footage 'shows hunt hounds chasing fox'

Members of a hunt were filmed encouraging hounds to look for a fox after a trail hunt was set up "as a charade", a court has heard.

Huntsman John Finnegan and whipper-in Rhys Matcham from the Quorn Hunt in Leicestershire are accused of breaching the 2004 Hunting Act on 4 February 2020.

Leicestershire Magistrates' Court heard the pair were captured on camera near Breedon-on-the-Hill by the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS).

The group said the footage, which was played in court, shows a fox running from a covert (den) and hounds following seconds later.

Both men deny illegally hunting a wild mammal with dogs and claim it was a legitimate hunt following a pre-laid scent.