Sett-sniffing Wynnstay Terrierman Convicted of Badger Offences!

On Monday 11^th November, Ryan Brennan – terrierman at the Wrexham-based Sir Watkins Williams-Wynn (aka Wynnstay) Hunt – pleaded guilty to interfering with a badger sett. The offences, which took place in January of this year, were captured in a covert surveillance operation.

Kidderminster Magistrates Court branded Brennan’s offences as “serious” and handed him a 10-week prison sentence (suspended for 12 months), a £154 victim surcharge and £85 court costs. Brennan must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months.

In the footage – which was passed to the HSA – Brennan can be seen checking the sett, sniffing it for signs of fox, then entering a terrier dog. He then tracks the dog’s progress underground using a radio collar and receiver kit, before removing the dog and blocking up the sett entrances. This procedure – known as ‘stopping up’ in hunting circles – is designed to trap foxes above ground, thereby ensuring a long chase for the hunt’s paying subscribers.

The next day, Brennan returns to check sett is still blocked, then – just prior to the hunt setting off – two well-known hunt members Colin Butters and Paul Conolly arrive with spades and also examine the sett, before hunt master Henry Bailey puts the hounds into the woodland and over the sett.#

Badgers are also the victim of stopping up and are sometimes buried alive in blocked setts.

The Sir Watkins Williams-Wynn Hunt is one of the largest and most well-connected hunts in the county. Former master Lord Daresbury used to livery hunting horses for Prince Charles, while Richard Tyacke, their huntsman for ten years, was until recently ‘Director of Hunting’ at the British Hound Sports Association – the so-called regulatory body of hunting! Previous Wynnstay employees Jamie Barnes and Chris Woodward  have also been convicted of similar badger sett charges in the last couple of years. 

A local spokesperson commented:

“People were getting fed up with this hunt blocking badger setts – this particular sett is one that gets blocked around five times a year, so decided to camera it up. It is commonplace to sett block in so called ‘trail hunting’ as we see time and again. We therefore need a complete ban on terrier work which can be imposed by the Secretary of State at any time and – as promised in the Labour Party manifesto – measures to ban trail hunting must be immediately implemented.”