GUILTY! Burton huntsman convicted under Hunting Act

Neil Burton found guilty in yet another failure by defence lawyer Stephen Welford

Yet another hunter has been convicted under the Hunting Act. On 28 October, 59-year-old Neil Burton, huntsman of the Burton Hunt, was found guilty of hunting a wild mammal with dogs. This conviction is the first of its kind in Lincolnshire.

Damning footage of the incident, which took place on 27 January 2024, was captured by Lincoln Hunt Saboteurs, and was submitted to the police. He was defended by hunters' go-to barrister Stephen Welford - who is getting a reputation for repeatedly failing to produce results. Burton denied the charge, arguing that in blowing his horn and shouting, “I was encouraging the hounds to come to me.”

He said:

“I wanted to stop my hounds, I was riding to get their head. If I could get in front of them, that stops them.”

But the prosecution barrister argued:

"You were not making attempts to call them back. You were attempting to excite them."

In their HIT report from the day, Lincoln Hunt Sabs described the incident, saying:

"Neil started urging his hounds on, almost trampled over a sab with his horse and used his horn to encourage the hounds after the fox. There is not a chance he can excuse this behaviour for trail hunting."

The sabs attended court for the duration of the case, and reported:

"Following the Portman Hunt's case, which bore striking similarities to this one, Welford obviously didn't hold much hope for a not guilty verdict and ultimately failed to present an expert witness. We here at Lincoln Hunt Saboteurs are delighted to say that justice has prevailed and Neil has been found guilty and given a £600 fine. Although this does not come close enough for Neil, the disgrace this brings on him and [hunt master] James Lockwood should be enough to put at least one nail in the coffin to end this Hunt for good!!"

The sabs are referring to the conviction of two men from the Portman Hunt, who were found guilty on 20 September, despite insisting that it is normal to lay a scent trail through barbed wire! They, too, were defended by a lacklustre Welford.

Assaults

The sabs' report of that day described violence from hunt members, so desperate were they to make a kill:

"Neil and his staff spent the day aggressively riding at sabs, using intimidation tactics by pushing phones that were recording into our female sab's face and physically assaulting her and the rest of the small foot team on numerous occasions. Their whipper-in grabbed sabs' hats and masks in an attempt to reveal their identities and distract us from the hounds that were hunting across the active badger sett."

We need a proper ban

Despite more hunt staff finding themselves in court these days, fines - which are all they get as punishment for being found guilty - are not enough to stop them from immediately terrorising more animals. The Hunting Act is failing wildlife for a number of reasons. It has so many loopholes that the majority of hunters get away with their crimes, almost with total impunity. And if they do find themselves in court, a measly fine does nothing to prevent them from repeatedly offending.

We need a PROPER ban on hunting - a whole new law to replace the Hunting Act. That's why Protect the Wild is urging the government to implement our Hunting of Mammals Bill – new legislation that would stop hunting with dogs in its tracks forever. You can read more about the proposed Bill here.

Donate to the sabs!

It is because of hunt saboteurs' witness statements and footage that cases like this even make it into court. And it is through sabs' hard work that guilty verdicts are achieved. Lincoln Sabs wrote on their Facebook page:

"We would love to be able to continue gathering evidence to take more wildlife murderers to court! We know times are hard and not everyone has the means to be able to financially support us, but if you can please follow the link to make a small donation.