Nickolas Chenier, 56, admitted to using his golden Lurcher for hare coursing on land near a cemetery in Wick in March last year. During the course of this, the dog chased and attacked the deer.

Members of the public who witnessed the incident managed to intervene and prevented the dog from continuing to attack the deer. The deer’s injuries were severe, and Chenier used a knife to kill the stricken animal.

At Wick Sheriff Court, Chenier was fined £750 and banned from owning or having a dog in his control for five years after admitting to an offence under the Hunting With Dogs Act (Scotland) Act, which came into force in 2023.

The court heard how two witnesses saw a golden Lurcher chasing the deer from a field into a car park at Olrig cemetery in March 2024. The deer was losing speed due to a broken front left leg and could eventually only run on its knees.

The witnesses then saw the dog take the deer to ground and bite its legs and neck. After they formed a huddle to protect the deer, Chenier appeared and confirmed the dog belonged to him.

Asked what he intended to do with the injured deer, he told them: “I’ll deal with it. I have a knife in the van.” The two witnesses them walked away separately but looked back to see Chenier had killed the deer and placed it in his van.

The incident was reported to the police and officers later carried out a search of the accused’s cottage and found a golden Lurcher in a kennel, which matched the description given by the witnesses. They also discovered the carcass of a badly injured deer hanging from its hind legs with a tray of blood below it in an outbuilding.

Iain Batho, who leads on wildlife and environmental crime for the Crown Office said: “COPFS takes offences of hare coursing and any other hunting with dogs offences seriously and action will be taken against individuals where there is sufficient evidence of a crime and where it is in the public interest to do so.

“Hare Coursing is a cruel and illegal act that can have a wide- ranging impact on both wildlife and rural communities. Whilst it was not Nickolas Chenier’s intention for his dog to attack and injure a deer that day, this incident shows that using dogs to hunt wildlife can have additional serious and unforeseen consequences.

“I welcome this first conviction under the Hunting with Dogs Act (Scotland) Act 2023 and, in particular, the message sent out about the Court’s powers under that legislation to ban offenders from owning or having dogs for a period of time.”