Exmoor Huntsman Tony Wright has secured a landmark victory for country sports and another blow to the discredited Hunting Act.
The Crown Prosecution Service pursued Mr Wright to the High Court after Exeter Crown Court overturned his conviction under the act. They argued that it was for Mr Wright to prove that he was hunting legally.
Brian Friend of the Union of Country Sports Workers said “The High Court Ruling reaffirms the golden thread that runs through our system of justice, that a man is innocent until proved guilty…The sadness is that such a case was brought by the Crown Prosecution Service at all. It is hoped the case will end here.”
This ruling leaves the Devon and Somerset Stag Hounds in an even stronger position to defend their own case, first brought in 2006.
Most importantly all sportsmen and dog owners are now less vulnerable to malicious prosecution.