A man that shot an otter on its head for eating his £40,000 carp has been jailed.
54-year-old Stuart Jones shot a Eurasian Otter in the head with a rifle in July 2019 after the otter ate his valuable carp that was worth up to £40,000 each.
The Bournemouth Crown Court heard how Jones, who owned Lyons Gate Campsite and Fishery in Dorchester, Dorset, planned the animal’s death by setting up a number of traps for a number of otters.
The otters reportedly targeted his four fishing lakes.
Victoria Hill, a prosecutor, told the court that a group of people witnessed the incident after visiting the lake between July 7, and July 11 last year.
They had been staying at a campsite on one of Jones’ lakes when they saw a fisherman catch the otter in a net and shout for somebody to fetch Jones.
Initially, people thought that it was being caught to be relocated.
Prosecutor Hill said, “But when the defendant arrived with his wife and daughter he was carrying a rifle. He pulled the bolt back on the rifle, put it to the back of the otter’s head and pulled the trigger. The otter seemed to thrash a few times and then it was deceased.”
She added, “If people were to behave in the way this defendant has, the impact on the otter population as a whole would be devastating. That’s why they are a protected species.”
Eurasian otters are fully protected under the laws of the United Kingdom under the European protected species (EPS).
They are also protected under sections 9 and 11 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
If you catch, kill, injure, or disturb otters, you are breaking the law.
You are also breaking the law if you damage or destroy a breeding or resting place, obstruct access to their resting places, or possess, sell, control, or transport live or dead otters.
Anybody found guilty of the charges can face an unlimited fine and up to 6 months in prison.
Jones, who is 54 years old, was jailed for 2 months.
Dave Webb, the founder of the UK Wild Otter Trust, said he was over the moon with the things that Jones did with the otter.
Webb said the prosecution will set a real precedent and send a start warning out to the fishery people.
He added, “There is no excuse to remove a native predator for commercial reasons and everybody knows about the law.”
Jamie Porter, defending, said the otters were a nuisance to the fishery owner.
He added that Jones’ actions were utterly inappropriate and he has since handed back his rifle licenses and no longer has anything to do with wildlife.
Jones did dispose of the animal in the quickest cleanest, and kindest way, just like a veterinary would.
Stephen Climie, a judge, said: “If they are ill and need to be put to sleep yes, but in the context of this case it was both unnecessary and illegal.”
Judge Climie said he could not suspend the sentence because the point is still to be made.
Jones reportedly tried to avoid the law, which has been in action since 1981.