Prosecutions for hunting are possible, says Attorney General
The Attorney General Lord Goldsmith has dismissed claims that prosecutions will be difficult under the new Hunting Act.
In a written ministerial statement to Parliament, Lord Goldsmith said that he was confident adequate guidelines were in place for both police and prosecutors.
Last weekend a number of hunts set out to test the new Hunting Act, saying that they would be able to kill foxes within the law. They claimed that the act was unclear and police would be unable to monitor or prosecute effectively.
And today the Countryside Alliance announced that it would be petitioning the House of Lords to hear its case. The alliance has previously lost two court challenges to the act, based on its belief that the Parliament Act – which was used to push the legislation through against the wishes of the Lords – was unlawful.
Lord Goldsmith said that if the Countryside Alliance’s petition for the Lords to hear the case was successful, he would consider any potential implications for prosecutions and make “a further statement if necessary.”
But there would not be any policy of non-enforcement of the law pending the completion of legal challenges.
He added: “As I made clear last week, it is not for the Attorney General to suspend an Act of Parliament and introduce a blanket policy of non-enforcement of the law. The law will be enforced in the usual way.”
Lord Goldsmith said that he had been in discussions with the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Association of Chief Police Officers on how to prosecute offences under the act.
He said: “Though there are no prosecutions currently underway, these discussions have reinforced my confidence that there is adequate guidance in place for both police and prosecutors.”
Lord Goldsmith said that police would investigation allegations of any breach “in accordance with their normal procedures, making operational decisions in line with national and local priorities.
“They will refer charging decisions arising directly or indirectly out of activities associated with hunting wild mammals with dogs under the Hunting Act to a Crown Prosecutor.”
He added that, as was normal practice, lesser sanctions like informal warnings and cautions would be issued first.
