Seven Hare Coursers From The North East Convicted At Court and Banned From Entering The East Riding

On the 1st August 2025, Seven Males from the Northumberland and County Durham Areas were convicted at Hull Magistrates of Hare Coursing Related offences.

This conviction followed an incident of reported Hare Coursing that occurred on the 19th JANUARY 2025 in the #SWINEFLEET and #GOOLE FIELDS area of the East Riding of Yorkshire.

The initial reports were of a number of males I two vehicles with Lurcher type dogs.

Following a Green Subaru Forester failing to stop for officers, three males with lurchers abandoned the vehicle and made off onto Private Farmland.

Having decided to then take a swim in the nearby Drain, the three males then made off towards GOOLE FIELDS but were spotted by an eagle eyed Humberside Dog Officer. These three males then appeared to join a further four males, all with Lurcher type dogs.

With some excellent teamwork between the #RuralTaskForce, #HumberBeatDogs, #HumberBeatRPU and #GoolePatrol, all seven males were then surrounded and detained in a field and processed for Hare Coursing Offences. Not willing to stop at that, the #RuralTaskForce located the second vehicle in #OLDGOOLE and seized both that and the Subaru.

All Seven males were reported for and summonsed to court for Hare Coursing Related offences.

As two males failed to appear at their first Hearing, Colleagues from the Northumberland Rural Crime Team assisted and arrested the males for failing to appear on behalf of the #RuralTaskForce.

After pleading guilty at court, Six males have been banned from Entering the East Riding for 12 Months. Along with this the males were issued the following sentences.

Christopher Lumsdon, aged 36 of Tree Top Drive in Choppington was Given a community order to complete 120 Hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £199 in costs.

John Tom Armstrong, Aged 20 of First Row, Linton Colliery, Morpeth was Given a community order to complete 120 Hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £199 in costs.

Garry O’Brien, Aged 27 of Margaret Street, Widdrington, Morpeth was Given a community order to complete 120 Hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £199 in costs. O’Brien was also disqualified from Keeping Sighthounds for two years.

George Wilson, Aged 26 of Hartford Caravan Site, Bedlington was Given a community order to complete 120 Hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £199 in costs. O’Brien was also disqualified from Keeping Sighthounds for two years.

Ethan Appleby, Aged 24 of North Ridge, Bedlington was Given a community order to complete 120 Hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £199 in costs. O’Brien was also disqualified from Keeping Sighthounds for two years.

James Shiel, Aged 33 of Oakapple Close, Bedlington was Given a community order to complete 120 Hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £199 in costs. O’Brien was also disqualified from Keeping Sighthounds for two years. Shiel was also issued 6 Points for driving without valid insurance.

Joseph Maughan, Aged 36 of Eden Terrace, Morpeth in has been Bailed to reattend Court on the 6th OCTOBER 2025 for Sentencing.

Following Sentencing, OIC, PC Rich Fussey of Humberside Police Rural Task Force said, “ This really was a prime example of a one team approach by Humberside Police. With assistance from Patrol staff, Dog officers, Traffic and our colleagues in Northumberland, we were able to locate, detain and prosecute all seven offenders in this case.

The fact that two of these offenders then failed to appear at court and were then arrested by Northumberland, shows that here in Humberside Police Rural Task Force, we will stop at nothing to bring rural and wildlife crime offenders to justice. 

The exclusion orders banning these males from the East Riding of Yorkshire for Twelve Months and the dog disqualification orders given to four of the males, lasting Two Years, hopefully sends a message to anyone looking to Travel to Humberside for Hare Coursing Activity that it is not tolerated and the strongest action will be taken to those who are caught committing these barbaric acts towards our fantastic wildlife.

#SaferStreets #RuralCrime #OpGalileo #NotInHumberside #WeWillFindYou