A 72-year-old Norfolk man has admitted possession of five dead goshawks.
Francis Addison found the dead birds of prey in a Suffolk car park and took them home but dumped them back there days later after he discovered he might be prosecuted.
Norwich Magistrates Court heard Addison, a part-time gamekeeper who had served with the military, had intended to call the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) after finding the birds in the King's Forest, between Bury St Edmunds and Thetford, on January 16 but "panicked".
He dumped the birds back where he found them but was tracked down by police after his DNA was discovered on one of the birds.
On Thursday (June 28) Addison appeared in court when he admitted 19 separate charges.
Nicola Lamb, prosecuting, said: "These birds were found dumped in a public car park in Suffolk."
She said the bodies were subjected to forensic examination resulting in Addison's DNA being found on one of the birds.
Police went to Addison's Norfolk address to speak to him about the dead goshawks and found the firearms.
She said he was interviewed in relation to the dead birds and told officers he had found them and "put them in his freezer" intent on taking them to the BTO.
However, he took them back to the car park and left them there.
Addison was to say that "all gamekeepers are killing birds of prey".
In terms of the firearms he had intended to put them away properly but said they were all inside his property,
He had returned late and had not wanted to disturb his wife.
The court heard a statement from the RSPB which described "what a problem" birds of prey being killed was.
The statement said the discovery of five dead goshawks was "significant"
When he appeared in court he also admitted a series of other charges, including:
Killing a non-schedule one wild bird and use of an animal trap in a circumstance for which it is not approved.
Addison also admitted two counts of possession of an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence - namely two air rifles and six animal traps.
He also pleaded guilty to six counts of failing to comply with the conditions of a firearm certificate, four counts of failing to comply with the condition of a shotgun certificate.
Addison was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.
He was also ordered to pay £1,080 compensation, £105 costs and a £154 victim surcharge.
Mary Wyndham, chair of the bench of magistrates, said the risk of harm caused by the weapoms offences was "enormous" and from someone who should have known better.
The court heard a statement from the RSPB which described "what a problem" birds of prey being killed was.
The statement said the discovery of five dead goshawks was "significant"
Lisa Robinson, mitigating, said Addison had pleaded guilty to possession of the Goshawks with "no evidence he had been involved in the deaths of the Goshawks at all".
She said he found the birds and had intended to take them to the BTO.
He returned home and spoke to a friend who said it was illegal to possess live or dead birds and could be prosecuted.
She said he "panicked" took them back to where he found them and "left them there".
She said he was upset about the deaths of birds of prey in the area but insisted he had not contributed towards it himself.
The solicitor said Addison had been involved in game keeping and had been dealing with firearms for his whole life.
She said he had spent 12 years serving with the military all over the world but had made "complacent errors" in respect of the firearms.
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