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TV chef Clarissa pleads guilty in coursing case
TELEVISION chef Clarissa Dickson-Wright has pleaded guilty at Scarborough Magistrates' Court of attending an illegal hare-coursing event.
The event, in March 2007, took place over two days in locations near Nunnington and Amotherby in Ryedale.
Miss Dickson-Wright, of Midlothian, Scotland, and racehorse trainer Sir Mark Prescott, of Newmarket, Suffolk, were charged with offences under the Hunting Act 2004.
They were both due to appear before magistrates, having previously pleaded not guilty, but both changed their pleas to guilty ahead of the trial.
John Cooper, prosecuting for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), described the events as "significant and concerted".
He said: "What we have is a sophisticated, large and well-attended gathering which was consciously trying, by the methods it used – muzzling and the use of the gun in particular – to blur the distinction and avoid prosecution under the Hunting Act."
Dickson-Wright, 62, who found fame in the cookery series Two Fat Ladies, was represented in court by Barry Warburton.
In mitigation Mr Warburton said that the defendant had been invited to the event and believed she was attending a genuine field trial, which had been organised by the North Yorkshire Greyhound Field Trialling Club.
He also explained that following last month's trial at Scarborough Magistrates' Court, in which three-times champion jumps trainer Peter Easterby and Major John Shaw were found guilty of permitting their land to be used for the same hare-coursing event, his client had changed her plea to guilty.
The previous trial had seen an in-depth discussion about the effectiveness of the Hunting Act and what does, and does not, constitute hare- coursing.
On delivering sentence, District Judge Kristina Harrison said this had been an "odd case" with "a very protracted and extremely complex background". She said: "I hope that this case makes it perfectly clear to anybody undertaking this kind of event that, if what is happening fits within the definition set down by Parliament, it is hare-coursing.
"In this case the organisers had obtained legal advice from a firm of solicitors and leading counsel. They were people who had never been in trouble with the law in their lives and were trying to remain within the law.
"But once the court had said what they were doing was wrong, they held their hands up and said 'we're guilty'.
"Prior to the decision made in court the situation was certainly unclear. But if any of these people or others who engage in this activity appear before me in the future, they will be dealt with most severely."
Both defendants were given an absolute discharge – a decision of the court to impose no penalty and no conditions, even though the defendant has been convicted.
Neither defendant was asked to pay court costs.
Following the verdict, Tania McCrea-Steele, of IFAW, who mounted the private prosecution, said: “This sends out a clear message to anybody considering chasing hares with dogs that they will be prosecuted.”
RSPCA chief inspector Geoff Edmond, who had been working closely with IFAW, said: “I’m pleased with the outcome as it clearly defines section five of the hunting act in relation to hare-coursing, which is clearly unlawful under the act.”
But Steve Clark, of the Countryside Alliance, insisted that the case had been a “huge waste of time and public money”.
He added: “They have tried to drag the good name of two people through the mud and haven’t succeeded. But I’m glad there has been clarification over the Act – there have been huge amounts of confusion.”
l Watch a video of the hare coursing event on our website – log on to www.maltonmercury.co.uk
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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