Review finds 15 hunting prosecutions ended without convictions over six years
The British Hound Sports Association says police are pursuing rural people over alleged hunting and countryside offences in cases that later collapse, describing the pattern as a “witch hunt”. Its review found 15 prosecutions involving 25 rural workers, farmers and hunt volunteers ended without a conviction over the past six years, raising concerns about the use of police and court resources.
Nine cases were withdrawn by the Crown Prosecution Service before trial, three ended with prosecutors offering no evidence, two were dismissed by a judge and one resulted in an acquittal after trial. The association says some defendants spent months or years on bail and that the cases cost taxpayers six-figure sums, though the article provides no independent cost assessment. One example is Olivia Forsyth, who was charged after standing in front of a car driven by a hunt saboteur she said had assaulted a farmer; the CPS later discontinued her case.
In short
- Campaigners say 15 countryside prosecutions failed over six years.
- The cases involved 25 rural workers, farmers and hunt volunteers.
- Olivia Forsyth’s highway obstruction case was discontinued.
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The case for
Repeated prosecutions that end without conviction can reasonably raise concerns about whether investigations and charging decisions are proportionate, especially when defendants face prolonged bail conditions and public expense. Even where no misconduct is established, the pattern merits scrutiny so rural residents are treated fairly and police and court resources are used carefully.
The case against
Cases ending without conviction do not by themselves show that pursuing them was unjustified: prosecutors may properly bring cases on the evidence available and later discontinue them as evidence or circumstances change. Enforcing the law in the countryside, including where alleged offences involve hunting or confrontations between hunts and saboteurs, can protect public safety and uphold equal application of the law; the reported review also does not independently establish the claimed costs or a broader pattern of wrongful prosecution.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Police forces are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on ‘witch hunts against countryside enthusiasts’”.