Two men who attempted to kill badgers on a Shropshire farm have avoided immediate custody after they were sentenced for a string of offences.

Paul Billington, 33, from Rossett, near Wrexham, and Gerard Monk, 27, from Wheelton in Lancashire, had both previously denied six charges, but were found guilty at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court.

The pair were sentenced yesterday to four months suspended prison sentences.

They were also banned from keeping dogs for five years, ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay £12,376.25 in costs. Magistrates also ordered the destruction of their badger-baiting equipment .

The men were convicted after being caught by undercover RSPCA inspectors on May 11 last year.

They were found guilty of attempting to kill a badger, digging for badgers, three charges of interfering with a badgers’ sett and hunting a wild mammal with dogs.

Gerand Monk, left, and Paul Billington

The court heard Billington and Monk had gone onto land near Ashford Grange Farm, Whitchurch, and set terrier dogs to find badgers.

Mr Glen Murphy, prosecuting, said the men had gone equipped with a spade, a dog locater device and five dogs.

He said: “They were filmed by RSPCA officers digging a badger sett. This case involved a substantial undercover operation by the RSPCA.”

Mr Murphy said at the trial, the men, who claimed to have never met before the day of the incident, had met in a roadside cafe to discuss a dog that Billington wanted to buy from Monk.

He said the men claimed they had gone to the farm with the permission of the land owner to take the dogs “rabbiting”.

Mr Clive Rees, for Billington and Monk, said both men insisted they had not been badger-baiting but accepted the court finding.

By Emma Kasprzak