Perthshire gamekeeper sentenced after hidden camera caught him beating goshawk to death

A gamekeeper who beat a protected bird of prey to death has been sentenced.

Hidden camera footage showed Russell Mason striking the goshawk with a cosh six times after it had been caught inside a crow cage trap on Cochrage Moor in Perthshire.

He then put the dead bird in a carrier bag before driving away from the scene at the Milton of Drummie Estate on February 12, 2024.

Mason, 49, who worked on the estate, was sentenced at Perth Sheriff Court on Friday after pleading guilty to catching and killing the rare raptor.

He also admitted a charge of illegally storing ammunition at his home outwith the terms of his firearms licence.

Mason was handed a 200-hour community payback order for killing the goshawk and fined £890 for firearm offences.

Prosecutor Iain Batho, who leads on wildlife crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “It is highly important to preserve Scotland’s natural heritage, including the wildlife that forms part of it. As such, wild birds are given strict protection by our law.

“Russell Mason’s brutal and wholly unnecessary actions resulted in the suffering and death of a rare and magnificent bird of prey.

“COPFS takes raptor persecution seriously and will prosecute individuals where there is sufficient evidence of a crime and where it is in the public interest to do so.

“The result in this case is a testament to the collaborative working between COPFS, Police Scotland, and Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA), who in this case were able to provide vital forensic evidence.”

Staff from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) had set up the static camera on public ground to monitor activity at the trap.

After reviewing the footage on February 14, they saw Mason had entered the trap two days earlier, carrying a handheld net.

After catching the goshawk, he is then seen striking it six times with a cudgel or similar instrument.

RSPB officials alerted the Scottish Society for the Protection of Animals (SSPCA) who, in turn, informed the police National Wildlife Crime Unit.

An avian vet who subsequently reviewed the footage said the bird would have suffered several fractures and died a painful death.

Officers identified Mason from his gamekeeping duties and his vehicle registration.

DNA from the goshawk was found by officers from the Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) on a cudgel found at his home.

During a police search of his home on the estate, officers also recovered a quantity of ammunition from his car and on top of a set of bedroom drawers, which were not appropriately stored in accordance with his firearms licence.

Ian Thomson, RSPB Investigations Manager, said: “Crimes such as this give unequivocal proof that these types of traps are incredibly effective at catching non-target species such as birds of prey, which are then routinely killed.

“We welcome the conviction of Mr Mason and are pleased that our video evidence was again key in detecting a crime against one of our rarest raptors and in securing this result.

“We are, however, disappointed that the penalty imposed will have little in the way of a deterrent effect on others considering committing similar offences.

“There are hundreds of these traps in use across our countryside, and this case shows, yet again, that the indiscriminate nature of such traps encourages their misuse and deliberate abuse; this in turn poses a significant threat to protected species.

“For those wanting to undertake licensed control of species such as crows, other more selective options are available, posing considerably less risk to non-target species such as protected birds of prey.

“We have been raising these concerns with the licensing authorities for over 30 years, and cases such as this again pose significant questions about the legitimacy of using indiscriminate cage traps in our countryside.”