Anti-blood sports groups have welcomed the first conviction for illegal fox hunting under new laws but warned they are still not being enforced properly, as Scotland's wildlife watchdog is taken to court over its licensing scheme.
Claire Bellamy, of the Lauderdale Hunt, narrowly avoided jail but will carry out 300 hours of community service after leading a pack of hounds which chased a fox through the Renfrewshire countryside in January last year. Under new anti-hunting legislation, Bellamy, 51, had obtained an official licence from NatureScot for the hunt but broke its conditions by failing to control her dogs and going into undesignated areas.
First Conviction Under New Law
Bellamy, the former master of the Lauderdale Hunt who took part in over 1500 hunts, was also banned from owning dogs for ten years other than her pet terrier and Border Collies she uses as a shepherdess. In her sentencing at Paisley Sheriff Court last week, Sheriff Gill cited "harrowing" footage captured by anti-hunt activists of a fox being chased by her hounds near Houston, Renfrewshire on January 4, 2025.
The judge said: "The evidence in this trial was overwhelming… Your actions were cruel, inhumane and selfish; you showed no regard for the life of an innocent animal." The trial heard how Bellamy had complained to a social worker that the new legislation made it more difficult to hunt foxes. Sheriff Gill added: "Ms Bellamy, that is the purpose of the legislation. What you don’t understand is that the law is the law, and you are bound by the law."
Licensing Scheme Under Challenge
Despite promises the new 2023 ban would close loopholes that had previously allowed fox hunting to continue in Scotland, around nine in ten requests for a licence to hunt have been granted by NatureScot, figures show. Data obtained by the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) through freedom of information shows 129 out of 147 licence requests have been granted by NatureScot over the last two hunting seasons.
Robbie Marsland, Director of the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, said: "I was in court to hear the sentence and I welcome it. The sheriff treated this case with the seriousness it deserved, and it was clear from what she said that a custodial sentence was very much on the cards. That should send a message to anyone who thinks they’re above this law.
"The League has campaigned for years to get the strongest anti-fox hunting law in the UK onto the statute book in Scotland. It was hard won, but we’ve warned NatureScot for some time now that people determined to keep hunting will go looking for a way round it. Obtaining a licence should never be a formality but right now it is, because NatureScot is licensing packs of foxhounds by taking applicants largely at their word. Light-touch licensing has become the new loophole, and the government needs to close it."
Court Action and Next Steps
LACS and Wild Justice last week lodged a petition for judicial review in the Court of Session against the agency over what it believes is its unlawful handling of the scheme. Marsland added: "The government told parliament these licences would be the rare exception, but three years on, we are back where we started with packs of foxhounds marauding the countryside with hardly anyone checking what happens next. We didn’t want to end up in court but we’ve spent two years raising concerns with NatureScot about this."
Dr Ruth Tingay, co-director of Wild Justice, added: "This legal challenge is about ensuring that the licensing system operates lawfully, transparently and in a way that safeguards wildlife." NatureScot said: "We have received the petition for judicial review and we will respond within the legal timeframes."
