Man sentenced for possessing dangerous chemicals and bird traps
A farmer and game keeper found to be in possession of illegal traps and stored dangerous chemicals has been ordered to pay fines, court costs and surcharges totalling over £7,000.
Police officers found the items after an investigation into the deaths of three birds of prey led them to the property of John Bryant from West Ashby in Horncastle.
The 40-year-old pleaded guilty to two charges and was found guilty of two more under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and Healthy and Safety Regulations when he appeared at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court earlier this month, although the court found no evidence to suggest Bryant had trapped or poisoned any birds of prey, the court heard.
Lincolnshire Police say investigators found the dead birds – a red kite and two buzzards – just north of West Ashby; forensic analysis determined they had been poisoned.
The findings led officers to execute a warrant and search Bryant’s land on October 4 2022. Lincolnshire’s Rural Crime Action Team was joined by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the National Wildlife Crime Unit, and Inspectors from Natural England to carry out the warrant.
Police say a chemical identified as Alphachloralose – typically used to kill rodents and which is also one of the most common substances known to poison birds of prey – was discovered in a vehicle being used by Bryant with a second tub containing the same product later being found in his garage.
Alphachloralose can be legally used as a poison for rodents using products at four per cent concentration or lower. These two pots were tested and found to contain banned and highly dangerous levels (85 per cent and 88 per cent) of the chemical.
Illegal traps were also found in the search.
Police found unset spring traps (similar to a powerful mouse trap) hanging from wooden posts on land managed by Bryant. This set up is commonly recognized as a pole trap, used to catch and injure birds of prey that perch on the post when hunting. Pole traps have been banned since 1904.
Forensic DNA analysis found traces of tawny owl and wood pigeon DNA on one spring trap and the other spring trap tested positive for wood pigeon DNA. However Bryant was found not guilty of setting any pole traps.
After a two-day hearing Bryant pleaded guilty to two charges of storing Alphacloralose at his home and was found guilty of two charges of possessing a spring trap tethered to a pole.
He was found not guilty of a further two counts of possessing Alphachloralose; two counts of using a spring trap tethered to a pole; and two counts of possessing gin traps.
Bryant was sentenced on Thursday, March 20 and must pay fines of £2,112, plus costs of £4,492 and a victim surcharge of £845.
Due to his conviction, Bryant can no longer use a General Licence to carry out vermin control.
The force says the sentence concludes a lengthy investigation that took years to bring to court and saw Lincolnshire Police work with a variety of partners.