No prison for badger hunter
Thursday 4th October 2007, 12:11PM BST.
A Telford man was today given a suspended prison sentence for hunting badgers.Father-of-five Mark Paddock, 37, of Aintree Close, Leegomery, denied “lamping” badgers – hunting them with a strong light – between January 2005 and March 13 last year.
But after a trial at Telford Magistrates Court, District Judge Nicolas Cartwright yesterday found him guilty and said evidence against him was overwhelming.
Today the district judge said he was suspending the 90-day prison sentence for two years – only because Paddock had sole custody of three children.
He will also be subject to a 90-day curfew between 8pm and 5.30am, will have to do 200 hours unpaid work and pay £2,600 towards the £26,000 legal costs.
The trial heard Paddock admitted killing a badger by sticking a knife into its throat. He maintained he had to use the knife on the badger because his lurcher dogs attacked it and left it seriously injured.
The judge dismissed a suggestion by defence counsel Clive Rees that Paddock had recklessly rather than deliberately hunted the badger.
The judge said on the video clips found on Paddock’s mobile phone, he had made no physical effort to pull off or restrain his dogs after the attack.
By Lisa Rowley
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This cretin should have gone to prison for 12 months, what does one have to do to get imprisonment under this Government these days.
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What a sick individual – what possible pleasure could he have got from this?
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I read on the BBC news site that he was ordered to pay costs of £26000, but because the Judge said he would not be able to afford the full costs then he would only have to pay £2600 and the RSPCA would have to pay the remainder (£23400).
Ehh! He was found guilty and he should pay – not the RSPCA who rely on donations. What is the Justice system coming to in this country?
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Great. Slap on the wrist. Same old same old!
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What a nice chap. Hopefully he gets what he deserves-the same treatment he dished out to innocent animals.
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It is an absolute disgrace that this man avoided jail, and a slap in the face to the RSPCA to have to pay HIS court costs! Incredible. Mark Paddock is an evil coward.
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Should have got 10 years.
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This is ridiculous! What sort of punishment is this?
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He has custody of 3 children so who was looking after them whilst he murdered the badger. He should have been sent to prison and also he should cover all the court costs not part of them.
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All these comments are valid. Just what is it coming to when the RSPCA prosecute a case,win and then have to meet a high % of the costs.
The prisons may be full but there is always room for this…….
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Let’s not be too exited about this and put it into perspective – the punishment he got is still more than had he killed somebody by dangerous driving. I think that his punishment was lenient, but let’s not forget there are wider problems with punishments.
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This sick hunter (one of many who marched in London to demonstrate against the Hunting Act) can still get his kicks following illegal fox hunts when the foot and mouth scare is over – the Countryside Alliance is supported by thousands of men who include ‘lamping’ as their hobby.
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