Huntsman of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt found NOT guilty of offences under the Hunting Act

The huntsman of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt was found not guilty of offences under the Hunting Act 2004 at Taunton Magistrates court yesterday (22nd January 2020).

Farmer Mark Doggrell faced charges of illegal hunting brought by the CPS relating to hunting activity on 23rd February 2019 at Charleton Horethorne, Somerset.

A spokesperson for the Countryside Alliance said: "Sadly this is another example of a prosecution based on vindictive allegations made by deeply prejudice activists. There is a long history of such cases resulting in not guilty verdicts when the evidence fails to meet the claims made by people who are only interested in attacking hunting. This is another example of police resources and court time being wasted when there is no valid evidence that illegal hunting has taken place. We would urge the police and CPS to carefully consider whether allegations made by committed activists should really lead to charges being brought."