The only good thing about the dropping of the case after so many years (and years, and years) is that you can now see the evidence of the video footage for yourself.
More on this shameful event later.
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19 Replies to “RSPB video of Hen Harrier at Cabrach”
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How was this ever dropped seems unequivocal evidence
If video evidence is not allowable in this case, what implications does this have on an police surveillance of criminals/ terrorists?
This is Scotland so what about Vicarious Liability? If the case was dropped because they could not conclusively identify the gamekeeper then why is VL legislation not applicable? Hopefully more light will be shed soon but everyone should be appalled by this. Will be interesting to see if the shooting associations release any statements on this piece of footage…
It’s good to be able to watch the ‘doctors and nurses of the countryside’ going about their work of protecting our wildlife…
Obviously, we need to work in partnership with these people and stop saying nasty things about them.
So that’s what a bad apple looks like – a gamekeeper!
The shooting industry are liars. They pretend in public to deplore the illegal killing of birds of prey, whilst in reality they carry it out. The arrogant assumption is that as this illegal persecution takes place on private land, in remote locations, that it is plausible to deny it takes place, plausible deniability. Most of the illegal killing of raptors and the destruction of nests is never known to anyone but the culprits. To solve a problem, you first need to understand that problem. With raptor persecution understanding the problem, means not being misled by the weasel words of shooting interests, that they are against the illegal persecution of raptors or that they are trying to solve the problem.
Illegal raptor persecution has been going on for decades. The almost complete disappearance of successfully nesting Hen Harriers on English grouse moors, alongside the disappearance of successfully nesting Peregrines proves that illegal raptor persecution is in reality a growing problem. The shooting industry learns from when they get caught, and attempts to ensure that the next time their crimes are not detected. So we must look to the circumstantial evidence of the absence of successfully breeding raptors on the most heavily keepered shoots, and it speaks volumes about what is happening when no one is looking.
The attitude of the shooting industry is typified by this case. They disingenuously pretend in public to deplore the illegal persecution of protected raptors, but then they use clever legalistic arguments to suppress the evidence, on specious grounds that those gathering the evidence did not have the permission of the landowners to film their employees illegally killing Hen Harriers. Then the dishonest shooting industry apologists, say why are so few keepers prosecuted for illegal raptor persecution if it’s so common. Absence of evidence, is not evidence of absence.
Indeed couldn’t have put it better myself. There is no other explanation for the absence of Hen Harriers in English grouse moors nor of the huge number of vacant Peregrine territories on said moors. Will we see the complete absence of Short Eared Owls too before anything concrete is done?
My heart says for bastards like this bring back the rack, my head says stick to the moral high ground but hell its a hard decision.
Why is the head obscured? To protect the guilty?
AMy thoughts exactly John.
Wasn’t there a Scottish ‘sporting’ estate in one of these ‘let’s be nice to hen harriers’ partnerships that dropped out of it as soon as plans were put forward to place cameras looking down on their nests as happened here?
The workings of the law are beyond mysterious at times. It is very hard to understand why a prosecution was not possible from this evidence.
Like John, above, I am puzzled as to why the criminal’s face is obscured in the video. If his identity is revealed what can he do – sue the RSPB? I think the RSPB should say bring it on! They surely have the resources available to permit this strategy.
Not enough evidence to prosecute?
I wonder what the Duke of Edinburgh, patron of the conservation organisation World Wildlife Fund, and grouse shooter, would say about this case?
This is utterly hideous. I pretty much considered myself unshockable, turns out I was wrong. If this is not possible to prosecute, or vicarious liability cannot stand based upon evidence of this quality then our legal system is failing us badly.
Wailing and gnashing of teeth aside, what practically can be done? This video is incredibly powerful – if enough bird lovers share this, surely there must be sufficient momentum possible?
I would hope that Scottish TV news channels would be interested in this story.
Will the RSPB put graphic details in the next magazine.
Indeed – or anywhere prominent on its website? Place your bets now, please…
Credit to them for putting the video up for viewing in this limited way but too much to ask that they make more of it through their membership and really reach their full potential in terms of conservation education of a wider public.
Its not an alleged illegal killing, its an unsolved illegal killing. Still from the video evidence it looks like there was at least on witness, I wonder who he saw???
Disgraceful [see] the background of Christopher Moran, the owner of Cabrach Estate http://www.christophermoran.org [ ]. Take a look at one photo in particular on his website, sitting cosily around the dinner table with the Chief Executive of Moray Council and the Directors! [and] other photos of him with members of the Royal Family! [sentence removed by Mark]
Mark writes: I have edited this comment heavily as indicated by square brackets above [ ] but the link is well worth a look.