Men banned from six counties after hare coursing incident in Ixworth

Four men from Kent have been banned from six counties in the east of England after a hare coursing incident in Ixworth.

John Adams, 21, Paul Bristow, 24, Douglas Smith, 26, and Henry Stanford, 23, all appeared before magistrates in Bury St Edmunds today (Friday) and pleaded guilty to hare coursing.

The incident in Ixworth took place on October 5 last year, when police were called just after 11am to reports of illegal activity in the village.

Smith, of Charing Heath, and Adams, Bristow and Stanford, all of Great Chart, were arrested last month and charged with daytime trespass in the pursuit of game.

All were given two-year restraining orders banning them from entering Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire for the purposes of hare coursing, or getting involved in the pursuit.

They were also ordered to pay fines of £175 each.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Sam Collins, 19, who was also charged in connection with the incident and was due to appear in court today.