A former gamekeeper for an estate near Malton has been fined for killing a protected bird of prey.
Thomas Munday, 35, was sentenced at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court yesterday for killing a common buzzard.
The incident on 30 March 2024 was caught on a covert camera placed by the RSPB.
The charity passed the evidence to North Yorkshire Police, who launched an investigation.
Video footage showed a man entering a cage trap and striking a buzzard with a stick, killing it, then tossing it into the front of an all-terrain vehicle and leaving.
During a raid on a private address, police seized a number of items including a stick later confirmed by forensics to tested positive for common buzzard DNA.
Munday, of Gillamoor, North Yorkshire, attended an interview at Malton Police Station, where he admitted the offence and expressed remorse for his actions.
At Scarborough Magistrates Court, he pleaded guilty to killing the buzzard, an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. He was fined £807, and ordered to pay a surcharge of £323 and costs of £85.
Inspector Mark Earnshaw, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “In the UK, all wild birds are protected by law.
“If you come across a dead bird or suspicious object, this could be a wildlife crime scene. Every piece of information may be crucial in helping us to prosecute an offender.
“As this case shows, we will take robust and effective action to identify perpetrators and put them before the courts.”
