TWO men have been fined after pleading guilty to poaching.
Andrew Dowse, 53, of Carlin How, and Steven Raymond Jones, 52, of Redcar, admitted hunting a hare with a dog – an offence under the Hunting Act 2004 – at Spaunton, Kirkbymoorside, Ryedale on March 11.
They now face a total court bill of more than £800.
North Yorkshire Police were alerted to suspected poaching activity in the area at about 1.15pm on March 11.
By 2pm, a PCSO from Ryedale Neighbourhood Policing Team had located a suspicious vehicle and a number of witnesses before Dowse and Jones were seen returning to the vehicle with two dogs.
They were stopped and spoken to by the Rural Taskforce, and their vehicle, a blue Mitsubishi ASX, was seized.
Both pleaded guilty when they appeared at Scarborough Magistrates Court on Friday, November 23.
Dowse was fined £50 and ordered to pay costs of £310 and a victim surcharge of £30.
Jones was fined £110 and ordered to pay court costs of £310, as well as a victim surcharge of £30.
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