Dropped Charges, unanswered questions: The Crown Prosecution Service and the Holderness Hunt

The ‘Golden Egg' footage that wasn’t: Why Was the Holderness Hunt Case Dropped?

A Fox Killed. A Hunt Unchallenged. A Law That Failed.

On New Year’s Eve, 2019, a group of local volunteers came together with one purpose: to monitor the Holderness Hunt in the East Riding Of Yorkshire. What they witnessed that day was devastating — a brutal killing that exposed the sham of “trail hunting” and sparked the formation of a group now dedicated to holding this hunt to account. The footage shows clear intent, yet the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case. Was it really down to a failing Hunting Act, or something else?

That morning, the Holderness Hunt was filmed flushing dense, impenetrable gorse along the edge of the Tophill Low Nature Reserve — land the hunt had no permission to be on, and where no genuine trail could have possibly been laid. The hounds spoke loudly, urgently — they had picked up a scent. Hunt staff, including then-Hunt Master and Huntsman Charles Clark, responded with horn calls, encouraging them on.

It was clear, no trail had been laid.

One of the volunteers from Hull Wildlife Protectors approached the hunt. He passed Hunt Master Guy Poskitt and his partner Sally Rix, and then asked another Master, William Bethell, if a trail had been laid through the gorse. His answer? A hesitant, barely believable: “Probably.”

Meanwhile, the hounds grew increasingly excited — vocal, alert, driven by scent. The volunteer shouted, pleading, “Call them off!” But no one did. Instead, Charles Clark continued to blow his horn, encouraging the hounds on, while amateur whipper-in Phillip Ellerington commanded them, “Get away on!”

This was not accidental. It was deliberate. It was calculated. It was clear, unmistakable intent. The hounds were not being controlled. They were being encouraged.

And then — the most gut-wrenching moment. A young vixen bolted from gorse.

The pack erupted into full cry. She was being hunted by sight.

Screenshot of the footage - the little vixen is chased by the Holderness Hunt hounds...

Again, the volunteer screamed: “Call them off! CALL THEM OFF!” But the pleas were ignored by the Holderness Hunt. As the volunteer ran past Phillip Ellerington, desperate to intervene, he was met not with urgency or remorse - but with a smirk. A cruel, mocking refusal to act.

Then it happened.

With the entire hunt watching — the masters, the riders, the staff — the little vixen, running for her life, caught her tail on a fence. She was flung backward, helpless, into the jaws of the hounds.

She was torn apart. Disembowelled. Killed for sport.

The little vixen is caught and torn apart.

No one stepped in. No one tried to stop it. The only people with control in that moment were the hunt — and they chose to let it happen. They wanted it to happen.

Hull Wildlife Protectors reach her as she is being mauled. She is still alive. They scream for the hounds to leave her, but it’s too late. Her lifeless body is pulled from the chaos. The hunt? They move on - as if nothing had happened. No remorse. No consequences.

You’d think with footage this damning, justice would follow. You’d be wrong.

This “golden egg” footage, allegedly called so by the Holderness Hunt themselves, capturing every horrifying detail—intent, pursuit, and kill—was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. The reason? “Insufficient evidence.” They claimed the volunteers couldn’t definitively identify those responsible, despite clear images showing Charles Clark on horseback, leading the hunt, being submitted as evidence.

Hull Wildlife Protectors fought back, trying to appeal. But with the six-month limit for prosecuting hunting offences, the case was thrown out.

The little vixen lay lifeless after being torn apart by the Holderness Hunt.

This is the rotten truth about the Hunting Act 2004—it’s not fit for purpose.

Had this been a hare coursing case, the footage would likely have been enough to secure a conviction. But hunts benefit from a deeply flawed law that lacks clarity, accountability, and the scope needed to prosecute offenders properly.

If recklessness were included in the Act, it could have covered the decision to allow hounds to flush dense gorse for an extended period in an area they had no permission to be, knowing no trail could be present.

If liability were adequately covered, others shown clearly in the footage—Hunt Master William Bethell, Guy Poskitt and amateur Whipper-In Pip Ellerington —could have all been held responsible. Even if Charles’ identification had been questioned, there were still two other individuals who held authority over the hounds and oversaw the hunt that day.

The vixen’s body. She was disembowelled whilst conscious. Fox hunting is cruel, it is inhumane. It is a gruesome, fear-filled death.

Instead, the law protects hunters. It shields them behind loopholes. It fails wildlife, saboteurs, and monitors alike.

This is the reality for those trying to uphold a failing law. Volunteers risk their safety, gather evidence, and confront the cruelty head-on. Yet, again and again, justice slips through the cracks.

This cannot continue. Trail laying is a lie. Foxes are still hunted, chased, and ripped apart while Hunts hide behind excuses and loopholes.

We need a real, enforceable ban on hunting. And we need it NOW.

Use our MP tool to tell your MP today: https://protectthewild.org.uk/endhuntingnow/

If you're outraged by this case, demand change. Use our platform Hunt Havoc.info to send the footage to your MP and call for an end to hunting loopholes. It's time the law worked for wildlife, not for those who exploit it. Enough is enough.

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