Hillsborough: Huntsman Jack Harris fined after attacks by foxhounds

The hunt took place near Hillsborough in November 2020

A man has been fined £500 after a pack of hounds killed a cat and bit a man during a fox hunt in County Down.

Lisburn Magistrates' Court heard that Jack Harris was the huntsman employed by Iveagh Hunt Club in November 2020 when the incidents happened.

He was convicted on two counts of being the keeper of a dog which attacked.

Thirty-year-old Harris, who has an address in England and did not appear before the court, was ordered to pay court costs of £1,200.

The hunt, which consisted of up to 40 dogs, took place in the Hillsborough area.

A prosecution lawyer told the court the hunt was trespassing on land belonging to a number of different individuals at the time of the attacks.

The first attack, on a black cat named Jessie, happened at the Dromara Road in Hillsborough.

The court heard that a witness observed the dogs surround the cat before it was lifted by the hind legs.

It was alleged a member of the hunt took the cat away when the dogs moved on.

The lawyer said the hunt then trespassed on land owned by Geoff Hamilton at Edentrillick Hill.

Mr Hamilton was subsequently bitten on the finger by one of the dogs, causing what the prosecution lawyer called a "bad laceration".

Bacteria found in Mr Hamilton's wound confirmed that he had been bitten by an animal.

Mr Harris, from Tetcott in Devon, had been written to and informed of the hearing taking place on Tuesday but did not attend the court and was sentenced in his absence.

Two other men who had been accused in the case, and the Iveagh Hunt Club, had the charges against them withdrawn as Mr Harris was deemed to be the person responsible for the dogs on the day of the incidents.

The prosecution lawyer said the club had given evidence regarding the process used to employ Mr Harris as the huntsman, and the other charges were therefore dropped.