Heythrop huntsman pleads not guilty to charges under the Hunting Act
Heythrop huntsman Julian Barnfield has pleaded not guilty to three charges of hunting a wild mammal with dogs contrary to the Hunting Act 2004.
Mr Barnfield, of the Heythrop Kennels in Chipping Norton, did not appear at Cheltenham Magistrates Court for the hearing on 4 August, but entered the pleas through his solicitor.
The case was adjourned for a pre-trial review on 3 November at the same court.
A High Court judicial review into where the burden of proof lies in hunting cases — whether a hunt must prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was not hunting illegally or whether it is for the prosecution to prove the reverse — will have a bearing on Mr Barnfield’s and other cases involving hunts.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.