Warwickshire Hunt whipper-in convicted of illegal fox hunting
Posted 17th March 2025
National animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports has welcomed the conviction of Warwickshire Hunt representative Benjamin Halsall for illegal fox hunting after an incident which saw a fox torn apart in a field near Idlicote in October 2023.
However, the charity is calling for stronger fox hunting laws and jail sentences for those convicted of fox hunting, after Halsall was found guilty and fined at a court case at Coventry Magistrates Court today.
Emma Slawinski, chief executive at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “We welcome this conviction of the Warwickshire Hunt whipper-in which resulted from footage showing them brutally chasing and killing a fox despite the ban.
“This conviction highlights how the so-called trail hunting excuse being used by hunts is a smokescreen being used to conceal old fashioned barbaric hunting from the public, police, and courts.
“The time for change is now and the government should announce a timetable for when it will ban trail hunting, remove the exemptions in the Hunting Act being exploited by hunts, and introduce custodial sentences to act as a deterrent for those that would break the law.”
The video footage used as evidence in the case was obtained by Becky Forrester from the Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs.
Halsall was ordered to pay £2,000, broken down to a £1,000 fine, a £400 surcharge and £600 costs.
Halsall had been acting as whipper-in for the Warwickshire Hunt on the day the fox was killed.
The Warwickshire Hunt has been at the centre of a controversy over its deals with local police and concerns over repeated complaints about its anti-social behaviour, its presence on busy roads and suspected hunting activity.
Trail hunting has been described by Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, the most senior police officer in England with responsibility for fox hunting crime, as a “smokescreen for illegal fox hunting”. He has also described illegal hunting as “prolific”.
Polling commissioned last year by the League and carried out by FindOutNow with further analysis by Electoral Calculus showed more than three quarters (76 per cent) of the British public supported strengthening the Hunting Act.
Emma added: “Prosecutions are rare under the Hunting Act which needs strengthening but the heartbreaking footage used in this case illustrates why the Government needs to set out a timeline for ending the savage killing of foxes by hunts.”
Ends
Notes to editors
For more information or interview requests please contact the League Against Cruel Sports Press Office on 07496 496454 (24hrs) or email pressoffice@league.org.uk
Find Out Now interviewed 5,379 GB adults online from 26 March-2 April 2024. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults by gender, age, social grade, other demographics and past voting patterns.
Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus are both members of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules.
A full breakdown of the data is available here: https://electoralcalculus.co.uk/blogs/DataTables_LACS_Jun2024.xlsx
The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain's leading charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act 2004 and the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021. We carry out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. We work to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage wildlife reserves. Find out more about our work at www.league.org.uk. Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533).
