A PIGEON fancier took a rival breeder's prize racer hostage in an attempt to track down his own missing birds.

Brian Tumilty, 41, was devastated when arsonists caused £30,000 of damage to the pigeon loft he inherited from his father last year.

More than 100 birds died and many prize specimens were stolen.

Instead of reporting what happened to the police, Tumilty tried to trace his missing birds himself.

But after he was mis- informed that fellow fancier Stephen Elliott might have known their whereabouts, Tumilty took Mr Elliott's £2,000 champion racer hostage in exchange for information.

As he tried to take the bird away, it suffered a wing injury that ended its racing career.

Father-of-three Tumilty, of Crawcrook, near Gateshead, appeared yesterday at Newcastle Crown Court, where he admitted a charge of burglary at Mr Elliott's cree in Shilbottle, Northumberland, on September 9.

Glen Gatland, in mitigation, said: "He was, he accepts, mistakenly told Mr Elliott knew something about these birds' whereabouts, and that is why he went there.

"When he realised they were not, he decided to take the bird hostage so that he could say to Mr Elliott he would get his bird back if Mr Elliott would help him recover his own."

The prize-winning bird taken by Tumilty was quickly returned to a neighbour of Mr Elliott's after Tumilty had a change of heart.

Judge David Wood fined Tumilty £250 and ordered him to pay £500 compensation.

He said: "It is a sport which some people regard as very important to their lives, therefore one cannot underestimate the seriousness of this."