Three hare coursers fined following Hampshire police investigation

Three hare coursers have been ordered to pay more than £2,800 collectively in fines and costs.

On the afternoon of 19 November 2024, police were deployed to reports of hare coursing in progress on farmland alongside the A34 near Bullington Cross.

The police helicopter deployed to the area and quickly identified three men and two dogs in the fields. Officers on the ground then stopped the men and the two dogs were seized. The dogs have since been rehomed.

The men were 23-year-old George Smith of Lyne Road in Virginia Water, Surrey, 46-year-old George Mark Smith of Lyne Road in Virginia Water, and 48-year-old Frank Wickens of Monks Hill in Emsworth.

Following further investigation, all three men were charged with trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs under Section 63 of the Police, Crime and Sentencing Act 2022.

They denied the offences, however were found guilty by Magistrates in Aldershot on 1 May this year.

They were all subsequently fined £520 each, and each ordered to pay £215 in court costs and a £208 victim surcharge.

Officers will continue to patrol the vast rural spaces of the county, respond to any calls for service that come in, and conduct proactive stops of any suspicious individuals or vehicles in the countryside.

We encourage people impacted by rural crime to report incidents to us as they happen on 999.

If you have information about suspicious activity, or that you think might help our enquiries or patrols, you can submit this to us by calling 101 or using the report tool at www.hampshire.police.uk