Three men sentenced for hare coursing

An investigation by our Rural Crime Action Team led to three men facing kennelling fees, fines and costs totalling more than £52,000, 10-year Criminal Behaviour Orders, driving bans, the loss of their dogs and the loss of their equipment.

The three men, Samuel Sheady senior, Samuel Sheady junior and Jason Davis, were arrested on 29 November 2022, after they were seen hare coursing in the Shoff Drove area, near Donington, and also in Kirton.

They were travelling in a green VW Touareg, which was covered in mud. The vehicle damaged crops as it was driven across fields to pursue hares. They had with them four lurcher-type dogs which were seen to chase a hare across a field, eventually killing it.

VW Touareg used in the commison of hare coursing. 

A dead hare was later recovered from a water filled ditch having been thrown there by one of the men. 

Several officers from our Specialist Operations team, which includes the Rural Crime Action Team, Roads Policing, Armed Policing and the Dog Section were involved in locating and arresting the men.  

The VW Touareg was seen by officers being driven on the A1121 Boardsides travelling toward the A17 at Hubberts Bridge.  

Having seen a police vehicle, the driver accelerated away along the A17, turning into the village of Great Hale.  The car was driven over a residential lawn and crashed into a fence. The three men fled from the vehicle and ran across open fields.  Two went in one direction and one in another.  They were chased by officers, including a dog handler and his dog; all three men were caught and arrested.  

Prior to his arrest, one of the men tried to hide a thermal imaging camera and a mobile phone under a large agricultural reel.  Following a search both items were recovered and the court has ordered the camera and phone to be forfeited.  

Officers found four dogs in the boot of the Touareg, including one that was wearing a tracker around his neck.  The dogs were taken to a kennel to be looked after. They have subsequently been forfeited and will find safe new homes.  

The defendants, Samuel Sheady senior, 44 years, Bro Gwilym, Wrexham; Samuel Sheady junior, 23 years, Bro Gwilym, Wrexham; and Jason Davis, 35 years, Lower Ecton Road, Northampton, all pleaded guilty to the offence of being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs.  

They were ordered to pay compensation for kennelling fees of £15,900 each, a total of £47,700.  

They were each handed a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order covering Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, meaning they cannot enter any private land with a sighthound, greyhound, long dog or lurcher type dog or cross breed during the recognised hare coursing season which is 31 July to 30 April. They cannot be on any private land in Lincs and Cambs with any non-excluded dog without the express and written in advance permission of the private landowner.   

The dogs were forfeited along with all the cash seized, the VW Touareg, night vision goggles, mobile phone, and dog training equipment.  

All three men were disqualified from driving for 12 months. 

Additionally, Jason Davis and Samuel Sheady junior were each fined £700 and each ordered to pay £280 victim surcharge and £500 CPS costs.  

Samuel Sheady senior was fined £750 and ordered to pay £300 victim surcharge and £500 CPS costs.  

PC Chris Windsor-Beck, from our Rural Crime Action Team, said: “This sends out a clear message to anyone thinking of coming to Lincolnshire to carry out such a cruel activity such as hare coursing. We will simply will not accept this barbaric activity and anyone who comes to the county hare coursing can expect to face the full force of the law.   

“I would like to thank members of our rural community in helping to tackle hare coursing by reporting incidents, and to feel confident action will be taken if reported to the police.” 

The men were summoned to Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 22 June last year, where they pleaded not guilty.  They later changed their plea to guilty and were sentenced on 5 September this year.    

Operation Galileo is the national approach to tackling hare coursing.  Offenders travel from out of the county, often great distances to hare course in Lincolnshire, due to its flat open farm fields.   

Hare coursing involves releasing a sight hound, often a grey hound or saluki type breed to chase a hare.  The chase is often recorded for gambling purposes or for the status of having a good hare coursing dog for breeding.   

Historically hare coursers have walked a line across fields to flush out a hare for a chase, but it appears now the use of thermal imaging scopes are used in order to locate hares huddled down resting in a field.