FRED HOLMES FROM EYE FACES HEAVY SENTENCE FOR HARE COURSING IN LINCOLNSHIRE AND NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Fred Holmes, a known traveller from Eye, has been convicted and sentenced for his involvement in illegal hare coursing activities across Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. Born around 1963, Holmes resides at the Eye View Travellers Site on Thorney Road in Eye, Peterborough, with the postal code PE6 7UA. His criminal actions, which involved trespassing on private land and using dogs to chase and kill hares, have led to significant legal repercussions.

Holmes was first apprehended on November 13, 2022, after a report of hare coursing in Low Road, Crowland, prompted officers from Lincolnshire Police’s Rural Crime Action Team to respond. Upon arrival, they found Holmes on the scene, accompanied by dogs, which are commonly used in illegal hare coursing activities. The police investigation revealed that Holmes had been actively involved in trespassing on private land with the intent of hunting hares using his dogs. As a result, he was charged with offences including trespass in pursuit of game and being equipped for trespass.

Further investigations uncovered that Holmes was also suspected of similar offences in Northamptonshire, specifically in Warmington, on October 23, 2022. Northamptonshire Police collaborated with their counterparts in Lincolnshire to build a case against him. Holmes was already under a community protection notice in Northamptonshire due to prior offences, which indicates a history of similar illegal activities. During the investigation, authorities seized three lurcher-type dogs from Holmes, along with his mobile phone, which could contain evidence related to his activities.

Holmes faced multiple charges, including two counts of trespass in pursuit of game and two counts of being equipped for trespass in pursuit of hares. Although he initially denied involvement in the Northamptonshire offences, Holmes ultimately pleaded guilty to all four charges during a court hearing at Boston Magistrates’ Court on November 10, 2023. The court’s decision reflected the seriousness of his actions and the repeated nature of his offences.

In sentencing, Holmes was ordered to pay a total of £18,557.50. This amount included £16,783.50 to cover the costs of kennelling his three seized dogs since their confiscation, along with fines for the trespass offences and victim surcharges. Additionally, Holmes received a three-year criminal behaviour order that prohibits him from entering any private land in Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, or Cambridgeshire with certain types of dogs, including sighthounds, greyhounds, long dogs, or lurchers, or from being in the company of anyone with such dogs during the hare coursing season, which runs from July 31 to April 30 each year.

Further penalties included the forfeiture of his three dogs, the seizure of thermal imaging equipment and a Citroen vehicle used in his activities, and a ban on keeping dogs for ten years, which will expire in November 2033. Holmes’s case underscores the ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to combat illegal hare coursing and protect wildlife from cruelty and illegal hunting practices.