A BIRD-KEEPER has been banned from keeping wildlife for five years after he failed to register his pet hawks with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Craig Nuttall, 41, of Haughton Road, Darlington, had two goshawks at his home when a Defra inspector made an unannounced visit. The inspector, who had been expecting to find only one of the endangered species, also found evidence of a third bird being housed at another address.

People who keep birds such as goshawks in captivity are required to register possession with the department.

At Darlington Magistrates' Court yesterday, Nuttall pleaded guilty to two counts of not registering or ringing birds between January 18 and January 28, 2001, and one count of purchasing a goshawk.

The court heard that a ring used to identify one of the birds had fallen off and he had failed to contact Defra to have it re-attached.

Police and an investigations officer for the Royal Society of the Protection of Birds found that the other goshawk was registered to Nuttall's friend, even though he had looked after it at his aviary for a year and should have registered it to himself.

The third offence related to his purchase of a goshawk in February 2000 , which he had failed to get a licence for.

John Grierson, defending, said: "Mr Nuttall was not aware that he had to get a licence for the bird."

Magistrates banned him from keeping birds for five years, gave him a 12-month conditional discharge and fined him £50.

The court ordered that the birds should not be returned to him.