Two men have been ordered to pay compensation after a poaching incident on private land near Basingstoke.

Two brothers, John Gregory, 27, and Edwin Gregory, 25, both of Swift Lane, Bagshot, Surrey, pleaded guilty to an offence under the Hunting Act 2004, at Aldershot Magistrates’ Court on Friday, February 19.

The men had been spotted with four dogs off the lead on private land near the village of Cliddesden, near Basingstoke, on the evening of July 8, 2015.

Officers attended and spoke to the two men, who were later summonsed to court for hunting a wild mammal with dogs – an offence under the Hunting Act 2004.

John Gregory was ordered to pay £1,500 in compensation, while Edwin Gregory was ordered to pay £750 in compensation.

The incident was investigated by Hampshire Constabulary’s Country Watch unit.
After the hearing, investigating officer PC Will Butcher said: “We are pleased by the outcome in this case as it sends out the message that poaching will not be tolerated in Hampshire.

“Poaching can have a serious impact on the rural communities and we will continue to work with those communities to make sure we deal with it robustly.”