Adam Egginton and Edward Bell convicted of fox hunting

Adam Egginton, 23, and Edward Bell, 31, both of Moor Lane in Necton, near Swaffham, were found guilty of hunting a wild mammal with dogs today at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court.

The pair were convicted of two offences that took place in February 2023. 

A CCTV video was shown during the trial of the West Norfolk Hunt and a pack of 38 dogs in the area of Hingham on February 20, 2023. 

The footage captured the moment a fox entered a private garden followed by a pack of dogs who then “pulled it into pieces”, before leaving its remains behind.

Moments later, an unidentified member of the hunt jumps the fence, removes the fox and hides it under his coat.

A still from the video shows the pack of dogs killing the fox in a private garden in Hingham (Image: Submitted) Bell and Egginton are then seen and heard making efforts to call the dogs back. 

They eventually regroup and return to the northern side of the road where they had permission to trail hunt.

The pair, who had denied the charges and were acquitted of two further charges of causing criminal damage and having dogs dangerously out of control, were handed fines and costs totalling £1,700 each.

Two others - joint huntmasters Andrew Kendall, 67, of Hulver Road in Henstead, Suffolk, and Robert Gurney, 55, of Bawdeswell - were cleared of all charges.

A man runs off with the dead fox that was killed (Image: Submitted) In a victim statement, the homeowner described how their property, security and privacy had been violated by the hunt and how they felt ‘on edge’ when using their patio for fear of uncontrolled hounds.

They revealed that since the incident they had installed additional gates and protection at the home.

They added: “Emotionally it is extremely distressing that we had to clean up the aftermath of the hounds ripping apart a poor lonesome fox on our patio.

“The hunters kindly left us the pleasure of removing the intestines, kidneys, fox fur, and blood from our blood-stained patio.

“I had to explain this to my three-year-old - why should she be exposed to this in her home?”

READ MORE: Farmer left 'helpless' after five months of frustration over fly-tipping

The court also heard about an earlier incident involving the same hunt group.

On February 8 2023 in Titteshall, footage handed to Norfolk Police appeared to show dogs on the trail of a live fox with Bell and Egginton present and in charge of the dogs 

Although trail hunting is legal - in which dogs and riders follow an artificial scent along an agreed route - it has been illegal to hunt foxes in England for 20 years.

After the case PC Chris Shelly, of Norfolk Police’s wildlife crime team, said: “These two incidents clearly show these dogs intentionally hunting wild mammals in public areas placing other wild mammals, pets, and the wider public at risk because of their behaviour.

“We presented two cases of illegal hunting which go against the hunting act and we hope offers reassurance that Norfolk Constabulary will always deal robustly with any such illegal activity.”