A POACHER who was caught by a farmer in Barnard Castle has been fined after pleading guilty at the eleventh hour.

John Paul Critchlow, 18, entered his guilty plea at Darlington Magistrates’ Court today (July 30), minutes before he was meant to go on trial for the offence.

David Maddison, prosecuting, told the court how the teenager, of Charles Street, Darlington, was caught along with two other men by a Barnard Castle farmer on his land on January 29.

He said the group had a lurcher-type dog with them and were also carrying a lamp with a red filter attached to it.

The farmer then called the police before rounding up the men himself and taking them to officers who were waiting in HM Deerbolt Young Offenders Institute’s car park.

Mr Maddison said Critchlow, who was wearing camouflaged trousers and coat at the time, made “a small admission” he was responsible to both the farmer and the police but had still plead not guilty until today.

Zoe Passfield, mitigating, said the reason her client had not entered a guilty plea earlier was because “he did not think he could be found guilty of poaching if he had not caught anything” but had since taken advice and changed his plea.

She said it was the first time Critchlow had been poaching and was also the main carer for his girlfriend and one of her relatives.

Magistrate, Ann Turnbull, decided to give Critchlow a conditional discharge for 12 months as well as fining him £115.

She also ordered the lamp used in the incident to be destroyed.