A MAN has been given an Anti-Social Behaviour Order and a driving ban after being caught hare coursing in Fenland.

Daniel Bibby, 59, and eight other men were arrested after police were called to Ibberson’s Drove, Benwick, at just before 11.30am on February 12 last year.

Officers from the force’s rural community action team (RCAT), backed up by other officers and the force helicopter, stopped two vehicles in nearby Whittlesey.

Bibby, of Schole Road, Willingham, was summonsed to appear in court where he pleaded not guilty to hare coursing.

He was found guilty in December, following a trial, and was sentenced at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court last Thursday (January 26).

He was banned from driving for six months, fined �150, ordered to pay �200 court costs and a victim charge of �15, and given a two-year ASBO which orders him:

• Not to be on any farmland or private fields in Cambridgeshire in possession of any lurcher-type dogs, and

• Not to be on any farmland or private fields in Cambridgeshire in company with or otherwise associated with any person who is in possession of any lurcher-type dog.

Bibby’s son William, 31, also of Schole Road, Willingham, and six other men and a 16-year-old boy were also found guilty of hare coursing offences.

William Bibby was fined �200 and ordered to pay �200 court costs and a �15 victim charge.

The others, who were from counties including Dorset, Surrey and Essex, were also issued with fines and ordered to pay court costs.

Both vehicles used by the offenders were seized and have been forfeited.

Pc Simon Page, from RCAT, said: “This case demonstrates that people are willing come from far and wide to take part in this illegal activity.

“The Asbo prevents Bibby from being involved in hare coursing and I would urge anyone who sees him in such circumstances to call police.

“Those taking part in hare coursing can often have associations with other types of crimes and we will continue to take it very seriously.”