Another egg collector bites the dust. (1 Viewer)

[BazR]

Hi All.
A report in the Yorkshire Post today, tells of an egg collector - Richard Pearson, from Cleethorpes - being found guilty of possessing more than 7,000 bird's eggs, including those of Golden Eagle, Peregrine, Osprey, Red-necked Phalarope, Montague's Harrier. 653 of the eggs were from the most protected species in the UK.

The Judge said of Pearson, " My view is that you are at the top end of people who commit this type of crime. The message must go out from this court in the strongest possible terms that the perverted activity of people like you who seize eggs to satisfy their own lust will not be tolerated." This was followed by the handing out of a 23 day prison sentence, confiscation of gear, including a rubber dinghy, waders, climbing spikes, syringes, cameras and sat-nav systems. He also has to pay £1,500 costs It sounds a lot, but is it really enough?

Baz.

 

[dafi]

23 days. Loose a bit of parafinalia. A few weeks wages.

It does not seem enough to put off a lifetime obsessive.

Two years would be more like it....or am i being reactionary?

 

[bill moss]

Hi Baz,

No of course it isn't. It might be 'enough' for the first-time-up man with a few eggs but there's a 'professional'.

As dafi says, a couple of years out of circulation, also confiscate his car, and maybe a few years community service helping out with manual labour on Nature Reserves.

Bill

 

[palval147]

Two years is far more like the sentence that horrible man should have got, but sadly the law isn't strong enough.

 

[BazR]

Bill and Val: I agree with both of you. Until some Judge bites-the-bullet and hands down a maximum sentence, whatever it might be, no real progress will be made.
Bill; the only thing I would take with issue with as far as your comments are concerned, is that this moron was a 'first-timer' with a few eggs once over, and had he been caught and hammered at that stage, we would not have had 7,000 possible young birds destroyed. I know what you are saying, and my comment is purely hypothetical, but we are on the same wavelength.

Baz.

 

[chris3871]

I think his sentence was actually 23 weeks. That's probably a bit nearer what he should've got, but I would've added some still.

 

[Kezza]

7000 eggs and 21 dead birds and he gets 23 weeks and £1500 fine!!???

According to the article below, the maximum sentence for one egg is 6 months and a £5000 fine.

So if "the biggest case of its kind for 20 years" doesn't justify a harsher sentence than what he got, what on earth does? He didn't even get the maximum fine for one egg!!

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1301

 

[BazR]

Hi Chris.
Thanks for the correction; it was indeed 23 weeks. I don't know where my mind was. It's still nowhere near enough. Kezza has put it all in-a-nutshell with her comments and link. Apologies to all for the error.

Baz.

 

[pie]

Hi Baz & All,
I also read yesterday, that he tried to wriggle out of it by saying the collection was given to him by the egg collector who died falling out of a tree!
What a guy!!!!

 

[JimMorris]

Its a shame that he did not fall out of a tree as well. At least he got 3 weeks short of the maximum sentence. Pity the fine wasn't near the maximum.

 

[Chris-Leeds]

Like most of this country's laws it doesn't go far enough. There are few deterrents in all areas of crime to stop the "wrong uns" from offending.