Disturbing audio clips have been released of two men callously discussing using dogs to hunt hares in Aberdeenshire.
Alexander Stewart and Jackie Stewart have been sentenced for heinous wildlife offences after admitting to animal cruelty at Forfar Sheriff Court today. The duo's barbaric acts - which took place between October 2020 and November 2020 - came to light after a local farmer spotted a blue Subaru belonging to Alexander pulling out of the crossroads of Powmyre and Kinalty.
The culprit's vehicle was recognised due to his previous convictions of hare coursing in the area. He went on to report the matter to the police and to his father, who promptly drove to Redwell Farm and the Balindarg area, which he suspected would be a likely location for coursers to hunt.
On arrival, he saw Alexander Stewart’s car parked on the road facing him before witnessing two individuals within the field to his right. One of them had a tan-coloured lurcher dog on a lead, which led him to believe they were hare coursing.
Within seconds, police arrived at the scene and saw Jackie Stewart and a boy running towards the Subaru vehicle, which occupied Alexander Stewart and two other boys. The duo were arrested and detained after officers searched the car and seized a mobile phone and a pair of binoculars while the group was taken to Dundee Police Office for further inquiries.
After inspection Jackie Stewart's mobile was later retrieved from one of the boys. Both devices were sent for analysis where it was discovered Alexander Stewart’s phone held several voice note messages - including how he had bought a dog to kill hares.
Another revealed how he bought his Subaru vehicle to go poaching while a further clip showed that he had been poaching in Aberdeen. A chilling photo of a young boy holding a dead hare beside a lurcher was also found on the device.
Jackie Stewart’s mobile phone revealed a text message, reading: 'A first chase killed it over down a road’. It also held a video of him with Alexander Stewart and the boys during the same period.
The footage is blacked out as the phone is put into a pocket, but the sound keeps running. Alexander and Jackie Stewart can be heard discussing the decline of hares in the area due to the population dying out from them being killed.
Alexander Stewart was given a Community Payback Order with 100 hours of unpaid work and Jackie Stewart was fined £1000 after having previously pled guilty at Forfar Sheriff Court to wildlife offences carried out between October 16 and 8 November, 2020.
The court granted the prosecutors motion for the forfeiture of a vehicle, three mobile phones and a set of binoculars. They were also slapped with a ban from owning dogs for six months.
Speaking after the sentencing, Fiona Caldwell, Head of the Crown’s Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit said: "I welcome the conviction and sentence of Alexander and Jackie Stewart. Hare coursing is a cruel and wholly illegal act.
" The Crown will continue to work to ensure that anyone who hunts hares with dogs is brought to justice. We would encourage anyone who may have information on hare coursing to contact the police."
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