FIVE YEAR BAN FOR MAN AFTER MULTIPLE ANIMAL WELFARE OFFENCES
A resident of Burnley has received a five-year prohibition on keeping animals after being found guilty of four offences related to animal welfare.Jack Hindle, aged 23 and residing on Avon Court, admitted to two charges under animal welfare regulations as well as two violations under the Badger Act, following an investigation conducted by the RSPCA.
In December 2024, officers from the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit (SOU), including Inspectors and Animal Rescue Officers, visited Hindle’s property after being shown footage depicting his two dogs, Doris and Woody both lurchers involved in wildlife fighting.
Although Hindle was not at the property during the inspection, he later surrendered himself to Blackburn Police Station.
William Mitchell, Chief Inspector of the RSPCA SOU, detailed the footage, which recorded activities from January to May 2024.
He stated: “The videos showed dogs hunting foxes, hares, badgers, and deer … evidence indicated that Doris and Woody were used for hunting, and it appeared they had been involved in fights with wildlife, resulting in injuries.” A veterinarian, who also reviewed the footage, testified that on several occasions, the dogs appeared to pursue and attack wildlife without any intervention from their handlers, increasing their risk of injury.
The vet noted that some videos showed badgers being targeted, with two dogs attacking a badger directly.
No efforts were made to control the dogs or stop their attacks.
The veterinarian further described injuries seen in the footage, including a skin cut on Doris’s front left thigh and a full-thickness laceration exposing tendons on the front paw.
Additionally, video evidence including material apparently sent by Hindle or taken from his phone depicted injuries consistent with hunting and suggested Hindle’s involvement in baiting badgers.
Doris and Woody were seized by police in December 2024.
During sentencing, the court acknowledged the time elapsed since the offences and Hindle’s clean record, as well as his youth and autism diagnosis, as mitigating factors.
Hindle was sentenced to a five-year ban on keeping animals, along with a 12-month community order requiring 15 rehabilitation days.
He was also fined £80, ordered to pay £600 in costs, and a £32 surcharge.
