# Former hunt master convicted of illegal fox hunting avoids prison

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/spared-jail-woman-who-used-pack-of-dogs-in-gut-wrenching-fox-hunt/
- Published: 2026-11-09T19:56:24+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T20:18:56+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16279247/Spared-jail-woman-used-pack-dogs-gut-wrenching-fox-hunt.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Claire Bellamy was spared jail after a fox hunting conviction.
- She must complete 300 hours of unpaid work.
- A court challenge questions NatureScot’s hunt licensing.

## Summary

Claire Bellamy, a former master of hounds for the Lauderdale Hunt, has been convicted of deliberately hunting a fox with dogs in breach of Scotland’s 2023 law. She avoided prison, but the case drew attention to the limits of licensed hunts and the enforcement of rules intended to prevent fox hunting.

Bellamy was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work within a year and banned from owning dogs for ten years, with exceptions for her pet terrier and working border collies. The hunt took place at Kirkton Wood in Renfrewshire in January last year under a NatureScot licence; protesters filmed it and said part of the hunt went beyond the designated area. NatureScot is also facing a legal challenge over how it assesses hunt licence applications.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.