Two men guilty of badger digging

Two men have been found guilty of using dogs to drive badgers out of their setts in Shropshire.
Paul Billington, 32, of Wrexham and Gerard Monk, 27, of Wheelton, Lancashire, were found guilty after a two-day trial.

The pair faced a variety of charges including attempting to kill a badger, digging for badgers, interfering with setts and hunting with dogs.

An RSPCA spokesman said the pair were digging at the setts near Whitchurch.

'Fighting dogs'
Ian Briggs said it was difficult to say what the motivation of the pair's actions were but thought it was because it was a bloodsport.

"It tends to be that they like killing things.

"They like to see their dogs fighting with the badgers which are regarded as the toughest mammals in the country," he said.

Billington, of Burton Meadows Farm, Llyndir Lane, Rossett, and Monk, of Millbrook Close, will be sentenced in July.

The case was heard at Shrewsbury Magistrates' Court.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/8122219.stm