A man has become the first person in Scotland to be convicted under new hunting laws after he slaughtered a deer that had been attacked by his dog.
Nickolas Chenier admitted using his golden lurcher for hare coursing near a cemetery in Wick, Caithness.
The dog chased and savaged the deer before horrified witnesses intervened and prevented it continuing its attack.
The deer’s injuries were severe and Chenier used a knife to kill the stricken animal in March last year.
At Wick Sheriff Court, Chenier admitted an offence under the Hunting With Dogs (Scotland) Act.
He was fined £750, banned from owning dogs for five years and must also pay a £40 victim surcharge.
Chenier, 56, is the first person in the country to be convicted and sentenced under the legislation which came into force in 2023.
The court heard how two witnesses saw a lurcher chasing a deer from a field into a car park at Olrig cemetery. The deer was losing speed due to a broken leg. Witnesses saw the dog take the animal to ground and bite its legs and neck.
They formed a huddle to protect it before Chenier appeared and confirmed that the dog belonged to him.
Asked what he intended to do with the injured deer, he told them: ‘I’ll deal with it. I have a knife in the van.’
The two witnesses walked away before looking back to see Chenier had killed the animal.
Police later carried out a search of his cottage and found a lurcher which matched the description given by witnesses.
They also discovered a deer carcass in an outbuilding.
DNA swabs from the deer matched hair and bone fragments recovered from the cemetery car park.
Swabs taken from the carcass also recovered DNA from a female dog.
Iain Batho, who leads on wildlife and environmental crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: ‘The COPFS takes offences of hare coursing and any other hunting with dogs offences seriously, and action will be taken against individuals where there is sufficient evidence of a crime and it is in the public interest to do so.
‘Hare coursing is a cruel and illegal act that can have a wide-ranging impact on both wildlife and rural communities.
‘I welcome this first conviction under the Hunting with Dogs Act (Scotland) Act and the message sent out about the courts’ powers to ban offenders from owning or having dogs for a period of time.’