Dorset hunt master found guilty and fined £6,800

Police said footage obtained from hunt monitors showed Pearson encouraging the hounds

A man has been found guilty of illegal hunting after he appeared to "encourage" his dogs to kill a fox.

Master of the South Dorset Hunt Mark Pearson denied hunting a wild mammal with a dog, but was found guilty at Weymouth Magistrates' Court.

Pearson, 62, was charged after hunt monitors notified police of an incident in the Bere Regis area last November where two foxes were killed by hounds.

The huntsman was fined £6,810 including costs.

Dorset Police said footage obtained from the hunt monitors was reviewed and formed part of its investigation.

They said evidence showed Pearson, from Child Okeford near Blandford, appeared to "encourage the hounds and did not have full control of them before they killed one of the foxes".

Police prosecuted Mark Pearson as Master of the South Dorset Hunt following the incident in November 2021

Sgt Lee Turner said the force was "fully committed" to investigating all reports of illegal hunting.

"Proving offences in these cases can often be challenging and I would like to thank all those who assisted our investigation by providing clear evidence to demonstrate Mark Pearson's offending.

"I would particularly like to thank those witnesses who gave evidence at court," he said.

Fox hunting was banned in England and Wales by the Hunting Act of 2004.

Trail hunting was introduced as an alternative activity before the Hunting Act and is still legal.