Tougher penalties for wildlife crime to be introduced

Prisons sentences of up to 12 months could be imposed under the new wildlife crime guidelines

Tougher penalties are to be introduced for those found guilty of wildlife crime in Scotland.

The Scottish government has accepted the recommendations from its wildlife crime penalties review group.

It means courts could impose sentences of up to 12 months in jail and fines of up to £40,000.

Environment Minister Dr Aileen McLeod said she wanted to bring wildlife offences into line with other environmental crimes.

She said: "It is important we have appropriate penalties that deter criminality but also reflect the impact these crimes can have on our environment and Scotland's reputation as a wildlife tourism destination.

Alternative penalties

"Work will now begin on bringing together a list of relevant offences this change would apply to."

The Scottish government said it would also "take forward" a number of other recommendations.

These include greater use of alternative penalties, such as the forfeiture of equipment used to carry out offences, and greater use of impact statements in court to explain the effect a wildlife crime may have had.

Stuart Housden, director of RSPB Scotland, said the announcement was a "welcome step forward".

He said: "Scotland has some of the strongest wildlife legislation in the UK but, ultimately, we need wildlife crime to be seen as completely unacceptable so that gamekeepers, landowners and countryside bodies do not tolerate it or turn a blind eye when they suspect it.

"Sport shooting bodies that are constantly seeking to reduce the safeguards afforded to highly protected species undermine the efforts to stamp out these crimes."

The landowners' organisation, Scottish Land and Estates, welcomed the Scottish government's response to the review group's recommendations.

Chief executive Douglas McAdam said: "It is right to bring up to date the maximum penalties available to judges for certain wildlife crime offences, and to take forward other measures such as a more systematic use of impact statements and alternative penalties appropriate to the crime."