Inverness-shire farmer ploughed up a badger's sett
An Inverness-shire man has been fined £1575 after admitting he ploughed up a badger's sett on a field outside the city.
Duncan Hepburn, who lives at a farmhouse in Dalcross, had been charged with the offence under the Protection of Badgers Act along with another fellow Dalcross farmer Alan Smart (40).
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The charge reads that between March 30, 2023 and April 4, 2023 on a field owned by Moray Estates, they interfered with a badger's sett by damaging it or part of it and in particular they did plough same and that they did intending to cause damage to the sett or part of it with reckless disregard as to whether their actions would have such consequences.
Smart's plea of not guilty was accepted by the prosecution and 44-year-old Hepburn pleaded guilty before Sheriff Ian Cruickshank at Inverness Sheriff Court.
