Prescott pleads not guilty to hare coursing charge
by Jon Lees
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SIR MARK PRESCOTT has entered not guilty pleas to charges which allege his involvement and attendance at two hare-coursing events earlier this year.
The pleas were entered on his behalf by solicitor Stephen Welford at the start of a private prosecution of the trainer by the International Fund for Animal Welfare at Scarborough Magistrates' Court.
Prescott, who did not attend the hearing on Friday, and celebrity chef Clarissa Dickson Wright each face four charges - two of hunting hares with dogs and attending a hare coursing event at Nunnington on March 2 and two similar alleged offences at Amotherby, near Malton, the following day.
The proceedings were adjourned until November 19 to coincide with the case management hearing into a CrownProsecution Service prosecution of five other defendants including former champion jumps trainer Peter Easterby who is accused of permitting land to be used for hare coursing and attending hare coursing.
John Weatherall, representing theIFAW, said the charity had begun a private prosecution because “we noticed some strange happenings during the courses. In the first round he slipped a cocker spaniel who had been coursed three times, on two of which he had been beaten up by the hare. Yet on his fourth outing at Nunnington he managed to beat a Waterloo Cup winner by twenty lengths"
Weatherall also remarked on how his suspicions were aroused during the fourth round. "Sir Mark ran a greyhound called Duffields Dreamy which had last been seen out at Clonmel in 2003, yet got up to beat the favourite after some large bets had been struck. We have it on good authority that the named dog is actually dead."
Alistair Down, who has recently been found nestled sleepily between the buttocks of the Baronet said "shurely shome mishtake?"
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Originally Posted by Bar the Bull
