Concerning loophole revealed after Sab caught fixing GPS tracker to vehicle faces no action

The Countryside Alliance are calling for tougher rules on the use of tracking devices after a hunt follower allegedly caught an extremist hunt saboteur planting one under her horse trailer.

The story has been covered by the Sunday Telegraph.

The legal loophole was identified when Mary Wynne-Jones, 68, from Market Drayton, discovered a hunt saboteur brazenly trying to fix a tracker to her Land Rover and trailer. The shocking incident took place on December 6 2019, shortly before Christmas.

Realising she had been caught in the act, the saboteur, who is known locally, quickly claimed she was thinking about buying a trailer and wanted to see if she could manage one, before disappearing.

Suspecting something was wrong, Mrs Wynne-Jones searched her trailer only to discover a tracker in the chassis.

Unexpectedly, the female saboteur then returned only to admit to Mrs Wynne-Jones and two police officers that she had placed the tracker.

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Mrs Wynne-Jones said: " She told me it was uncharacteristic and a spur of the moment thing."

However, despite the shocking admission, Mrs Wynne-Jones received a short letter from North Wales Police stating: "As the female made it quite clear the alleged tracker was NOT placed there to commit theft, no crime has been committed."

PC Perrin, of Rhos police station, who typed up the letter, added that various other offences had been considered "but these circumstances did not fit any." The suspect saboteur's details and vehicle description, however, will be circulated among local police officers for future monitoring.

When confronted by the Sunday Telegraph, the 73 year-old suspect saboteur claimed " I have thought about tracking – I've looked into it. It's something we have considered. I honestly don't know whether tracking a car is illegal. I think it's a bit of a grey area. But I haven't done it and I'm not aware of anyone who has."

While the fixing of GPS trackers to the vehicles of hunt followers and farmers isn't unheard of, it is thought to be the first time someone has been caught fixing one.

Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, Tim Bonner, said he is contacting Home Secretary Priti Patel about what he considers a potential legal loophole.

He said: "The repercussions go way beyond hunting. It is concerning that anyone could so easily be the victim of stalking. Most would agree this is a shocking violation of privacy which could put people in serious danger. Action needs to take place to address what looks like an unacceptable loophole."

The Sunday Telegraph have spoken to two criminal barristers about the incident.

Rupert Jones from Birmingham, said: "There is definitely a gap in the law. The vehicle interference offence only applies when the intention of the installer is that the car is to be stolen.

"The concerning situations are when someone installs a tracker to work out where someone lives, or what their daily habits are, with an intention of committing another offence against them or their property."

While Nicholas Hall, from London, said: "Given the increasing popularity of trackers, it may be new laws will be introduced in future to capture this specific type of behaviour."

The Countryside Alliance will be monitoring this matter closely.