Sinnington not guilty of breaking the Hunting Act

A Hunting Act prosecution against three members of the Sinnington Foxhounds has failed.

A district judge at Scarborough Magistrates Court ruled on Monday (13 December) that whipper-in Caroline Scott had “no case to answer”.

And he returned “not guilty” verdicts on the other two defendants, huntsman Tony Winter and hunt supporter Wilf Gamble.

The case centred on allegations that the hunt had pursued a fox near Wombleton Airfield near Pickering on 16 December 2009.

The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) had covertly filmed the hunt.

The judge ruled, however, that the Sinnington were not pursuing a fox seen crossing the airfield in the video, and that their activity was consistent with legal trail hunting.

Chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, Alice Barnard, said: “Hunts must be able to carry out legal hunting and trail hunting without being dragged through the courts as a result of allegations made by animal rights groups.”

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