Nazi salute hunt supporter pleads guilty to harassment

A hunt supporter filmed performing a Nazi salute during a Wynnstay Hunt meet has pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment.

Protect the Wild reported in February on Ian Jones, who performed a ‘sieg heil’ salute at Cheshire Monitors. The incident occurred during a Wynnstay Hunt meet on 7 February, with a member of the monitor group capturing it all on camera.

During the tirade, Jones insinuated that Lesley and other members of Cheshire Monitors represented a “Fourth Reich” persecuting hunts, saying:

“You will not hunt, you will not live, we will gas you all.”

This type of harassment went on for several minutes. Lesley said at the time that Claire Daresbury, whose husband is a primary benefactor of the Wynnstay Hunt, laughed throughout the confrontation.

Racially-charged harassment

Cheshire Monitors said that its evidence led to West Mercia Police investigating Jones. Powys County Times reported that the police charged Jones with “threatening or abusive words or behaviour that would cause harassment, alarm or distress to his victim”. He pleaded guilty to the charge on 20 June.

As a result, the judge handed Jones an 18-month conditional discharge. This was uplifted from 12 months due to his racially-aggravated invective.

Cheshire Monitors said that it is:

“pleased with the outcome and hopefully won't see this reprobate out with the Wynnstay again.”

Wynnstay Hunt: Full of unsavoury characters

The Wynnstay Hunt has got away with killing foxes numerous times in the past. Monitors and sabs have witnessed the hunt repeatedly chase and kill the creatures, and police even investigated huntsman Chris Woodward. However, he narrowly escaped penalisation after the CPS dropped crucial evidence filmed by monitors at the last minute.

Police are also still investigating a video that allegedly showed Woodward and Wynnstay whipper-in Charlie Young interfering with an active badger sett.

It’s clear this hunt is filled with unsavoury characters that shouldn’t be let anywhere near the countryside, and Jones is just another amongst them. However, while the others have so far gotten away with their malpractices, monitors were this time successful in holding Jones legally accountable.

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