Illegal hunting of Flemish hares by Britons
In a recent judgement, a judge of Ghent sentenced five Britons because of illegal hunting of hares with hounds (‘hare coursing’).
The judgement considers, among other things, that compliance with the rules for the protection of nature should be taken seriously. As Flanders is an urbanised area, the few and very fragmented nature must be dealt with carefully. The British hunters have, by their illegal hunting practices, effectively damaged nature. Hares are, indeed, hunting species and part of the native fauna. In addition, they contribute to the biodiversity of the Flemish nature. As a result, the hunters have not complied with, on the one hand, the objective of the Hunting Decree (articles 2 and 7/1), the wise use of game species and their habitats, and, on the other hand, the hunting conditions aimed at a better wildlife management, nature conservation and improved monitoring.
An important element in the case is the profit motive, having regard to the bets that go hand in hand with 'hare coursing'. The British hunters have put their own personal interest and pleasure, more specifically the gambling channels, above the general interest, in particular the safeguard of nature and biodiversity. This is, therefore, a grave offence against nature as well as unethical behaviour.
The confiscated cameras and smartphones, which contained photos and videos of the hunting practices, were declared forfeit since they served to commit the crimes. The vehicles and greyhounds, however, were not forfeited because they were not seized.
Two civil parties were involved in this case, on the one hand the hunting rights holder on whose grounds the Britons hunted illegally, and, on the other hand, the Hubertusvereniging-Vlaanderen (Hubertus Association Flanders), which, as a hunters’ association, puts the promotion of hunting first. The judge awarded the hunting rights holder a (material and moral) compensation amounting to 250 euro. The judge awarded the Hubertusvereniging-Vlaanderen a compensation for moral damages of 1 euro. The association had not demonstrated any material damage.
Finally, regarding the criminal charges, each of the British hunters was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of nine months and a fine of 8,000 euro.
See : Corr. East Flanders (Dept. Ghent) 6 February 2018.
Associated areas of specialisation: Environment