Two men have been fined after admitting poaching on a farm near Driffield.
Stephen Joseph Hardy, 27, of Newholme Estate and John Thomas Cowie, 23, of Dormand Court, both of Wingate, County Durham, pleaded guilty to the charge of daytime trespass in pursuit of game at Manor Farm, Wilfholme.
Prosecutor Heather Levett told magistrates at Bridlington that police had been looking for a red Audi car, which they located near the farm, and spoke to the drivers.
While there they noticed three men around 500 yards away in another field, with Lurcher type dogs.
Humberside Police’s air support confirmed that they could see three men with dogs laying in a field, and police gave chase. The three were caught and questioned.
Hardy and Cowie were unrepresented in court, but indicated that they accepted they should not have been on the land,and both said they had got rid of their dogs.
Presiding magistrate Mike Bowman asked the pair if the vehicle belonged to them - they said it belonged to a friend who they had travelled with.
“We have the power to confiscate vehicles involved in the commission of a crime, so I would tell your friends that,” said Mr Bowman. “There are too many people coming down to the East Riding from County Durham with lurchers and other dogs of that kind. We could have fined you up to £1,000 for this offence, so you know how serious it is.”
He fined the pair £100 each, and ordered they both pay court costs of £40 each and a £20 victim surcharge. A third man, James Michael Tyers, 18, of Byron Road, Chilton, County Durham, did not attend court but indicated a guilty plea in writing. He has been summoned to appear at Bridlington Magistrates Court on April 17.