RT
@HuntSabs: 📣It has been a busy few days in the courts!
Very recently, several individuals associated with 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥 hunts that have either been found guilty, charged, or had a plea hearing ahead of trial in relation to illegal hunting & associated offences.
𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗢𝗖𝗞 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦
Firstly, we announced that the huntsman and hunt master of the Quantock Staghounds have both been charged with illegal hunting, in relation to an incident in which a stag was killed on March 16th, 2026.
𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙨 (top, left)
𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨 𝙂𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙨 (middle, right)
Watts also faces a further charge relating to a seperate incident on April 23rd, 2026. Both are due to appear at Taunton Magistrates Court on October 22nd, 2026.
You can read about the Quantock charges here 👉
𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧
Next we wrote about the plea hearing on the 15th September 2026 of three members of the Mendip Farmers Hunt who are charged with illegal hunting in relation to an incident in which a fox broke cover and was chased and killed on January 17th, 2026.
𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 (middle, left)
𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙀𝙢𝙢𝙖 𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙧 (bottom, right)
𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝘽𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙋𝙖𝙮𝙣𝙚 (Top, centre)
All three pleaded not guilty and are due to face trial at Taunton Deane Magistrates Court on the 15th September 2027.
Read about the Mendip Farmers Hunt charges here 👉
𝗘𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧 / 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 & 𝗪𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗥 𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧
Then there is the Eggesford Huntsman who had pleaded guilty, when a drone captured the hunt digging a fox out of rubble before the hounds gave chase on Boxing Day 2025.
𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙨 (middle, left)
Marles was fined £500 and order to pay £285 in costs.
𝙏𝙤𝙢 𝘽𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣 (top, right) terrier-man for both the Eggesford Hunt and the Spooners & West Dartmoor Hunt, was also convicted following two seperate incidents involving hunt saboteurs.
Bounsall was convicted of intentional disorderly behaviour and careless driving. The driving incident occurred at an Eggesford Hunt meets and the public order offence was at a Spooners Hunt meet, in November 2025 and January 2026 respectively. He was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay a further £685 in costs and victim surcharge.
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
Of the above cases, the footage supplied for all the above charges have came from hunt sabs.
Footage that have lead to these actions was supplied by several HSA affilated groups including North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs, Mendip Hunt Sabs, Devon County Hunt Saboteurs, Plymouth & West Devon Hunt Sabs, and also footage from Wildlife Guardian.
You can join the HSA for just £20 a year, and help us support the sabs doing the legwork to end hunting - week in, week out, in the fields 👉