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A Cornish hunt master has been found guilty in court after a cat was mauled to death by a pack of hounds.
Earlier this year, the animals, which are owned by John Lanyon Simpson of the Western Hunt, killed the cat and threw her over the fence.
The cat‘s owner Carly Jose said her children “cried themselves to sleep” after the tragic incident.
Sampson has been fined £480 and ordered to pay a further £350 in compensation to Jose.
He is also ordered to pay £775 in court fees, under the charge of being the owner/person in charge of dogs dangerously out of control in a private or public place.
Cornish hunt master found guilty
Jose said a member of the hunt offered money as an apology, but she refused and branded it “absolutely disgusting.”
The cat, called Mini, was a 14-year-old rescue. “Nothing will bring [her] back or take away the trauma Mini and we have been through,” she said.
League Against Cruel Sports is a charity working to stop animals from being killed and abused for sport.
In a statement sent to PBN, director of investigations Martin Sims said: “This sickening incident illustrates the havoc fox hunts are having on local communities and domestic animals and wildlife across the UK.
“Enough is enough.
“It’s time the government and landowners acted and consigned the barbaric world of fox hunting to the history books.”
Fox hunting and hounds
While fox hunting is illegal in the UK, the practice is prevelent across the nation and there are multiple packs of hounds run by local hunts.
A huntsman is in charge of each hunt, and responsible for directing the hounds as well as their welfare.
Despite the obvious welfare risks presented within fox hunting, the kennels where hounds are kept have also been known to show some dark sides.
For example, recent covert footage revealed hunting dogs being shot to death by hunting staff. Across four seperate incidents this year, the investigation was widely dubbed as “upsetting” and morally indefensible.
Additionally, this year has already seen proponents of the fox hunting trade fined for illegal activity. Namely, the diretor of the Master of Foxhounds, Mark Hankinson, was found to have encouraged hunting on a series of online calls last year.
