Scott Matthew Cochrane, aged 30 and of Yarrow Close in Poole, appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 19 November 2019 for an application by Dorset Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to vary an existing criminal behaviour order.

In May 2015 Cochrane was made the subject of a five year criminal behaviour order that prohibited him from being in possession of a wild animal, wild bird or part of a wild animal or bird living or dead in Dorset as well as other prohibitions relating to travel in the county.

On the 5th October this year police were called to a suspected poaching incident and saw a van and two men, one of whom was Cochrane. On Wednesday 30 October 2019 he pleaded guilty to offences of being in possession of a wild animal, which he was prohibited from doing by a criminal behaviour order, and for hunting a wild mammal with a dog, an offence under Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004. Cochrane was sentenced to eight weeks in prison for the offence, suspended for 12 months, and was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £122 and £85 costs. The other man was given a caution.

Because Cochrane’s existing criminal behaviour order was due to expire in August 2020, Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team prepared an application to vary the order to prevent further offending. At the hearing on Tuesday 19 November 2019, magistrates agreed to vary the order and it will now be in place for a further three years.

The order is very restrictive and should make it much easier for police to detect and prevent Cochrane’s offending. As far as we are aware this order is the first of its kind to deal with rural offences but we hope that it will be taken up elsewhere as many of these offenders are extremely prolific.

Further details can be found here.