Allen, aged 54, of Baileys Hill, Wimborne St Giles, appeared at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on 16 February 2023 following a guilty plea last month relating to multiple raptor persecution offences. He was sentenced to 15 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months and fined £2,022.

The sentence follows the uncovering of multiple illegally killed birds of prey and several banned poisons by Dorset Police, Natural England and the RSPB on the Shaftesbury Estate near Wimborne St Giles in 2021.

The bodies of six shot buzzards and the remains of three more were discovered in Allen’s yard on the estate in 2021 after a poisoned red kite was reported to Dorset Police by a member of the public.

The kite contained high levels of brodifacoum, the deadliest rat poison on the market, which also shockingly killed a white-tailed eagle in the vicinity 10 months later.

The search of Allen’s land also uncovered stashes of deadly poisons, including the pesticide bendiocarb, two bottles of the banned substance strychnine, two tins of the banned poison Cymag and the toxic rodenticide brodifacoum.

There was also a loaded gun left propped behind a door in Allen’s home.

The defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a live or dead wild bird under schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and two charges of failing to comply with the conditions of a firearms certificate.

He also admitted the following offences:

• Using a biocidal product in contravention of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
• Possessing an unlawful substance under the Plant Protection Products Regulations 2012
• Possessing a regulated substance without a licence under the Poisons Act 1972.

All birds of prey are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and killing them is against the law, punishable by an unlimited fine and/or jail.

Chief Inspector David Parr, of Dorset Police, said: “We take all reports of wildlife crime and rural criminality very seriously. This case has seen us work with partners including Natural England and the National Wildlife Crime Unit to compile evidence before liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Wildlife Prosecutor who agreed to the charges against the defendant.

“Wildlife crime remains a key objective of the recently expanded Dorset Police Rural Crime Team and we will continue to work with our partners to investigate criminal offences and deal with offenders robustly.”

Angharad Thomas, the CPS Wessex Wildlife lead, said: “We work closely with the police on all wildlife related cases to make sure there is sufficient evidence to meet our legal test for prosecution.

“In this case, the review of extensive and complex evidence made it clear that Allen’s offending posed a significant threat to human and animal life, as well as having a negative impact on the countryside.

“Anyone acting otherwise than in accordance with firearms licences or in contravention of laws intended to protect our wildlife and countryside will be prosecuted.”

In November, the RSPB published the Birdcrime report 2021, which revealed 108 confirmed incidents of raptor persecution in the UK. 71% of these occurred in relation to land managed for gamebird shooting.

A satellite-tagged white-tailed eagle, poisoned with seven times the lethal dose of brodifacoum, was found dead 10 months later on the same estate, although it is unknown exactly where it picked up the poison. However, in a disappointing turn of events, the investigation was unexpectedly and prematurely shut down by Dorset Police before a full follow-up search could take place, despite police knowledge that the same substance had been found on the same estate during the investigation.

Mark Thomas, UK head of Investigations at the RSPB, said: “It is clear that the use of the lethal rat poison brodifacoum needs much tighter regulation and controls over use, as it is clearly being both misused and abused to kill birds of prey.

“At the very least this product should be restricted to indoor use only, as it was before the Government relaxed its use in 2016. We also suggest that only accredited pest controllers should be able to use it in specific circumstances. If not, then the unnecessary increase in bird of prey deaths, including white-tailed eagles and red kites, will continue.”

Stephanie Bird-Halton, National Delivery director for Natural England, said: “Widespread illegal use of pesticides and biocides in the countryside continues not only to kill our birds of prey, but also poses ongoing risks to the public. We have seen a clear increase in cases of raptors dying with the rodenticide brodifacoum in their system.

“Without landowners and land managers complying with the law and reporting illegal activity, the impact on our wildlife will continue.

“If members of the public spot birds of prey they suspect may have been poisoned, we would ask them to contact the police on 101, but not to touch the bird.”