County Durham couple plead guilty after badger killed

Stephen Thomas Rose, 38, and Kenneth Wade, 29, had travelled 33 miles from their homes in County Durham to hunt the wild animal in the wild with a dog. The badger died.

Rose, of Mardale Street, Hetton-le-Hole, and Wade, of Airedale Gardens, Hetton-le-Hole, initially denied a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by bringing it into direct conflict with a badger, but changed their pleas and pleaded guilty during the hearing at York Crown Court.

They were also accused of killing a badger and disturbing a badger sett, but for legal reasons these charges were dropped at York Magistrates Court in July.

The incident occurred on January 25 last year near Richmond in Swaledale.

The verdict was postponed until October 31.

When Wade was released on bail, York County Judge Sean Morris told him to “get his affairs in order” and threatened him with jail time. He set conditions for his bail, namely that he stay at his home address and observe a nighttime curfew.

York Crown Court heard there was a similar conviction against him as in the 2017 dog case.

Rose participated in the case via video link from prison and was remanded in custody until the day of sentencing.