PAUL O'SHEA CONVICTED OF ANIMAL CRUELTY IN ESSEX

Paul O’Shea, a terrier-man affiliated with the East Essex Hunt, was convicted in 2022 for cruelty towards a protected fox. Born around 1973 and residing at Lower Jennies, Mount Bures, Bures CO8 5AP, O’Shea was filmed using a dog to chase a fox from an artificial sett before launching a violent attack with a garden fork.

Secret footage, captured by North London Hunt Saboteurs in December 2021 at Great Monks Wood in Pattiswick, Essex, showed O’Shea, alongside his 16-year-old daughter Scarlett O’Shea, employing a Patterdale terrier to flush the fox from its artificial burrow and trapping it with a net. The footage then revealed O’Shea stabbing the confined fox multiple times with a garden fork and kicking it, causing significant distress.

Magistrate Paul Jee described the incident as involving a “deliberate” and “high level” of suffering. He stated, “In the first instance, there was the use of a ‘hard terrier’ which was chasing and biting the fox underground, and still hanging on to it when it came out. We heard that the fox was picked up by his brush, which would have caused terror and suffering, and we saw for ourselves repeated attempts to stab the fox with a fork. Whether it pierced the skin or not, we don’t know, the body was never found.”

While Scarlett O’Shea, who was present during the incident, was also charged with hunting a wild animal with dogs, the case against her was eventually discontinued.

Police Constable Jed Raven of Essex Police’s Rural Engagement Team commented, “This was a particularly nasty incident. The fox was attacked by the dog until O’Shea grabbed the fox by its tail to pull it out of the net. He then attacked the poor fox with a large garden fork, stabbing it several times, before kicking it. Sadly, we don’t know exactly what happened to the fox as the film did not capture this. What is certain is that the fox would have experienced a great deal of pain, discomfort, and mental terror. This is simply not acceptable. The distressing footage prompted immediate action; we sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service, which helped us secure charges against O’Shea.”

CPS district prosecutor Sally Robinson emphasized, “O’Shea maliciously targeted a fox with his dog before violently stabbing it with a garden fork. The footage showed his cruel treatment, leading to his guilty plea. Cruelty to animals is unacceptable, and we are committed to working with police to bring offenders to justice.”

O’Shea was sentenced to an 18-week suspended prison term, 200 hours of community service, and ordered to pay total costs of £233. Additionally, he was banned from owning any dog for five years. However, he received no separate punishment for the offence of hunting a wild mammal with dogs under the Hunting Act 2004.

Additional details reveal that Paul O’Shea is employed as a project manager by the Orchard Group, whose CEO, Simon Fordham, is reportedly a former huntmaster. O’Shea is married to Wendy O’Shea, who is one of the Joint Masters of the East Essex Hunt. The couple has children, including 16-year-old Scarlett and an adult son, Charlie O’Shea, who also works as a terrier man for the same hunt and runs O’Shea Contractors, an agricultural business.

Source: Hunting Leaks