A man who hunted and killed a badger and then took Red Kite chicks from their nest has avoided going to prison.
Dewi Price was part of a gang of men with dogs who travelled from south Wales to mid Wales to kill badgers, and then went on to take Red Kite chicks from a nest with the aim of training them to hunt for him.
He took “trophy” pictures of the badger-killing, and boasted about his activities online. He also filmed himself interfering with the nest.
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The defendant had previously been convicted at trial at Newport Magistrates Court of a string of animal offences when he appeared in the dock of Swansea Crown Court for sentencing.
Handing down a suspended sentence, the judge said she was “quite sure” it would have been immediate custody had the case come to court sooner.
Eugene Egan, prosecuting, told the court the badger offence had seen Price and a number of other men travelling to the Builth Wells area armed with spades, and dogs with electronic collar tags and tracking equipment which allowed the animals’ position underground to be monitored. The court heard dogs at the scene fought with a cornered badger, and the incident resulted in the death of the badger.
The barrister said: “The defendant boasted online about his exploits, and took trophy photographs which he shared online.”
The Red Kite offences saw Price make a number of visits to a Red Kite nest site in Caerphilly county and remove two chicks. Again the defendant filmed himself. The court heard Price took the chicks home and then carried out internet searches on how to train a Red Kite to hunt for him, and also tried to swap one of the chicks for a Harris’ Hawk.
Mr Egan said when 39-year-old Price was interviewed in relation to the bird offences he claimed he had taken the chicks home to save them because they looked weak – a claim rejected by the prosecution.
The prosecution barrister asked the court to make a deprivation order for two dogs – Gypsy and Faith – seized from the defendant when he was arrested and to make an order banning him from owning dogs.
This article by Jason Evans was first published by Wales Online on 9 February 2022. Lead Image: Ben Birchall/PA Wire.
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