Poacher (51) is fined by court

Alan Douglas, of Beech Avenue, Bilsborrow, pleaded guilty to two offences at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court on May 5.

Lancashire Police were contacted in October 2014 following a report of deer poaching at a farm in Milnthorpe, Cumbria.

Several carcasses had been removed from the land, which borders the two counties, without the landowner’s consent.

Deer which had been poached by Alan Douglas, 51, of Beech Avenue, Bilsborrow. He pleaded guilty to two offences at Lancaster Magistrates Court on May 5.

Following an investigation, officers carried out a search warrant at Douglas’ address and found animal remains.

The 51-year-old, who had passed his Deer Stalking Certificate Level 1 in May 2014 and Deer Stalking Certificate Level 2 in October 2014, was arrested and charged.

Douglas was given a £250 fine and ordered to pay £275 costs at court. The presiding judge also ordered that his firearms, which had been seized during the investigation, should be sold.

Officers believe he wanted to sell the remains as venison.

PC Andrew Massingham, a wildlife officer at Lancashire Police said: “This is a satisfying result.

“The area where the offences were committed once held a small population of deer within a delicate habitat. The land was managed by legitimate and lawful deer stalkers who conducted selective culling of the herd in accordance of the land owners wishes.

“To have someone who purported to be a highly trained deer stalker take animals without consideration in this manner is completely unacceptable, outside the law and not within the realms of best practice as advised by the Deer Initiative, British Deer Society or British Association for Shooting and Conservation.”