The Council has opened a consultation on a proposed new guideline for sentencing illegal activities associated with hare coursing.

The purpose of the guideline is to help the courts take a consistent approach to sentencing offences associated with hare coursing and bring together the full range of sentencing powers and ancillary orders available to them.

The proposed guideline covers four offences and reflects changes introduced by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022.

The proposed guideline covers two new offences created by the PCSC Act:

• Trespass with intent to search for or pursue hares with dogs etc
• Being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs etc

It also covers two existing offences for which the maximum penalties were increased under the PCSC Act from a fine to six months’ custody:

• Trespass in the daytime in search of game
• Taking or destroying game by night

Illegal activities associated with hare coursing can often involve aggressive and threatening behaviour, physical abuse, theft and damage to property. They can cause great disturbance to rural communities and financial loss to landowners and farmers. The aim of the guideline is to help the courts recognise the harm these behaviours can cause when determining the seriousness of hare coursing-related offending.

The consultation is open until 25 April 2025.