Broxted: Dogs ban for two south Essex men after hare coursing investigation

Two men have been banned from keeping or owning dogs for two years after an investigation by rural engagement officers into reports of hare coursing in the Uttlesford area.

Billy Lee, 25, of Chivers Road, Stondon Massey, and Tony Cooper, 23, of Harrow Road, North Benfleet, were spotted by members of the public on a Saturday morning in a field near the village of Broxted on 14 October 2023.

After driving their vehicle into the field, they were seen to let their dogs pursue hares and then they recovered the bodies, Colchester magistrates were told on 1 October.

Police were called and, after abandoning their vehicle, the two men headed towards a building site where they hid in a half-built house.

However, rural engagement officers and officers from Uttlesford Neighbourhood Policing Team swiftly located them in the building and detained the pair.

Lee and Cooper were later summonsed to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court to answer the charges, following an investigation by our Rural Engagement Team. They both admitted a single charge each of trespassing with intent to search for or pursue hares with dogs.

Magistrates handed them both disqualification orders under section 66 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.  

Sergeant Paul Brady, of the Rural Engagement Team, said after the hearing:

“Dogs are integral to hare coursing and poaching and I am pleased the magistrates banned Lee and Cooper from owning or keeping any dog for the next two years.
“Hare coursing is a very cruel sport and is often associated with organised crime.
“And it can prove very costly for farmers and landowners. Farm gates, fences and hedges are often damaged to gain access to farmland. And the vehicles hare coursers use to access these often isolated spots churn up those fields and damage the soil structure, which can affect future crop yields.”

Paul urged anyone who sees hare coursing taking place to ring police. He says: 

“We rely on reports from the public to help us target our operational activity. If you don’t tell us, we don’t know where it’s happening. If you see hare coursing taking place, ring 999 to report a crime in progress.
“Please provide as much information as you can, including a precise location, but don’t put yourself at risk.”

Lee and Cooper were also each fined £300 and ordered to pay £200 court costs and a £120 victim surcharge.

Essex Police is believed to be the first force nationally to have obtained such a disqualification order in February 2023, when two men were banned from owning or keeping dogs for three years under the PCSC Act, which had been introduced the previous year. The pair had each admitted a charge of daytime trespass in pursuit of game.

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