Can I be the first to congratulate North Yorkshire police for arresting four people for allegedly illegal hunting, and also confiscating their dogs and vehicles.
However, if the police really believe that arresting four outsiders from the Stokesley area is going to “send a clear signal to others” they will be sadly mistaken.
Four times a week the Middleton Hunt goes out with a pack of more than 30 hounds. Last year, four members of the Middleton Hunt pleaded guilty in court to illegal hunting.
Ten years ago just prior to the hunt ban, the Middleton Hunt held a Declaration Day where hunt followers signed pledges to defy the ban.When are North Yorkshire Police going to treat Lord Middleton’s Hunt the same way they treat everyone else?
That would really send a clear signal to others including the Derwent, Sinnington, Farndale and Saltersgate Hunts.
Tommy Woodward, Pickering
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