scolopax Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 £8,100 fine for man who killed geese in North Yorkshire Posted on 10 August 2017 at 11:41am in News stories A man has been fined more than £8,000 for killing young geese in Ryedale. Raymond William Twiddle, 83, of West Knapton, near Malton, pleaded guilty to intentionally killing three greylag geese at Scarborough Magistrates Court on Monday 7 August 2017. A member of the public called North Yorkshire Police on 24 April 2017, to report seeing a man killing gosling chicks with a spade and then burying them. Officers with specialist wildlife crime expertise attended the scene in West Knapton, and found two greylag gosling chicks buried in a disturbed mole hill, and a further one in long grass. Post mortem examination by a vet confirmed blunt trauma as the cause of death. Greylag geese are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. They are amber listed and are of conservation concern in the UK. Twiddle was fined £8,100, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £170 and £85 prosecution costs. PC Nick Coning, who led the investigation, said: We worked closely with the RSPCA, RSPB and CPS to secure a conviction in this case. The persecution of wild birds is unacceptable. We treat all forms of wildlife crime in North Yorkshire extremely seriously, and we will deal with it professionally and thoroughly. Wildlife crime officer PC Graham Bilton said: The actions of the person involved not only resulted in the death of the young goslings but also caused a great deal of stress to the parent birds, who were still present when we arrived. The public need to be aware that anyone committing rural and wildlife crime will be robustly dealt with, and the incident again highlights the essential and continual hard work of wildlife crime officers. Sally Robinson from the CPS said: This was a sickening and barbaric act. We were able to work with our partner agencies to build a robust case to put before the court. The severity of the penalty imposed in this case is a clear indication that such acts of wilful cruelty will be punished with the full force of the law. Last modified: August 10, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberFowl Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 (edited) Ah Mr Twiddle (MBE)..always had an issue with the pair of geese that nested on his pond within the woods and ventured out to graze on his grass field! I remember him letting of fireworks over their heads, driving up and down field shooting gun in the air, gas banger, flags etc, his attempts to get rid of them 2 geese (and the few goslings they had) were relentless and quite astonishing considering the amount that one family would eat of his grass! A not very well liked man by majority of those in the small village of West Knapton (mainly due to jealousy I think) Kept in the loop by friends and family I know the chap who reported him! But a good man to me...riddled with squirrels and a cracking little wood for roost shooting that I had free run of Edited August 13, 2017 by AberFowl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 If he had such a problem with the geese, why didn't he just shoot them in season? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberFowl Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 (edited) If he had such a problem with the geese, why didn't he just shoot them in season?They weren't there in season...if they had been I would of shot them when I flighted the ducks and Canada geese Edited August 13, 2017 by AberFowl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 So they will be gone in a fortnight's time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 hello, you have to ask yourself why?? and 83 !!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberFowl Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 So they will be gone in a fortnight's time? The nesting pair were never there after mid august Believe what you will motty, I lived in West Knapton for 19years and shot the ground for 12, my dad shot it for 15 before that I know it like the back of my hand and watched the geese from the kitchen window every morning while having my breakfast Them geese were never there come start of the season or they would of been shot. hello, you have to ask yourself why?? and 83 !!!!!Because they ate his grass and made a mess in his fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 It makes it even more ridiculous to kill them now. They would surely be gone in a few days!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberFowl Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 It makes it even more ridiculous to kill them now. They would surely be gone in a few days!!Yes, it was ridiculous the measures the man went to trying to scare them off when they did so little damage to grass which he had plenty of and for very few sheep!I refused to play any part in the scaring when asked as a keen wildfowler myself I was more interested in watching the goslings grow. I never thought he would stretch to tapping them on the head with a spade! A very wealthy man with a good name in the agricultural and poultry scene now no doubt a tarred name Google him...he set up Twydle turkeys. Was good pals with b.matthews and direct competition. Was a a bigwig in the turkey foundation amongst other things. A very successful wealthy businessman, £8000+ is pocket money...the name plastered allover local media will be the sting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panoma1 Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 (edited) Taken as reported/posted, 1) They would be feral greys....not the migratory ones, which unless I'm mistaken, are the amber listed ones?......there were efforts by NE (supported by the RSPB I believe?) to get feral greys included on general licence a couple of seasons ago, as I recall?....as a pest (same as Canada's) 2) So PC Bilton is a Goose psychologist is he? He can read a birds mind and know when its stressed?....but is it the same feelings of stress that humans feel?........Or Is he anthropomorphising in order to give the weight of sympathy to his evidence? 3) And as for Sally Robinson from the CPS.......her job is to prosecute lawbreakers not voice her personal feelings on the moral aspect of the case! I think the guy was a silly old duffer, that deserved a kick, killing them the way he did was the real issue.......but to me the punishment seems out of proportion to the crime. Edited August 13, 2017 by panoma1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Kelly Posted August 13, 2017 Report Share Posted August 13, 2017 Amazing the size of the fine he was given compared to the fines handed out to people taking coarse fish on a much larger scale. A few fines of that magnitude might deter some of the fish takers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 They won't have the cash or will just move on or back home. Amazing the size of the fine he was given compared to the fines handed out to people taking coarse fish on a much larger scale. A few fines of that magnitude might deter some of the fish takers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrelhall Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 It makes it even more ridiculous to kill them now. They would surely be gone in a few days!! The way I read it 7th august was the day he was at court. Not the day of the offence. A bit to soon to get it to court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 The way I read it 7th august was the day he was at court. Not the day of the offence. A bit to soon to get it to court. It was reported 24th April so unless it was reported as a premonition.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrelhall Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 It was reported 24th April so unless it was reported as a premonition.... Aye so a bit more than a few days then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 Yep, fair enough. A little bit longer than he was prepared to wait for them to go. Good job we haven't all got the same kind of attitude though, otherwise I would have shot that ******* cat that keeps leaving footprints on my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 I bet he does not do it again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reabrook Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 Taken as reported/posted, 1) They would be feral greys....not the migratory ones, which unless I'm mistaken, are the amber listed ones?......there were efforts by NE (supported by the RSPB I believe?) to get feral greys included on general licence a couple of seasons ago, as I recall?....as a pest (same as Canada's) 2) So PC Bilton is a Goose psychologist is he? He can read a birds mind and know when its stressed?....but is it the same feelings of stress that humans feel?........Or Is he anthropomorphising in order to give the weight of sympathy to his evidence? 3) And as for Sally Robinson from the CPS.......her job is to prosecute lawbreakers not voice her personal feelings on the moral aspect of the case! I think the guy was a silly old duffer, that deserved a kick, killing them the way he did was the real issue.......but to me the punishment seems out of proportion to the crime. Nail on the head for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 Now that is the Fine that I would like to see on people using phones. That would Stop it stone dead. As said incredible fine,he will not do that again..Ever.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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