Former Conistone & Grassington Estate Head Gamekeeper Racster Dingwall Guilty of Conspiring to Kill a Hen Harrier in Landmark Case Using Covert RSPB Footage
In October 2024, RSPB covert film footage, lawfully obtained and subsequently broadcast on Channel 4 News, captured Racster Dingwall and two others discussing and subsequently shooting an untagged Hen Harrier, after first scaring away a ‘boxed’ (sat-tagged) bird. The three men were also clearly heard to discuss having shot a Buzzard and a Raven, both protected species, earlier in the day.
This crucial RSPB footage was instrumental in securing the conviction of Dingwall today (29 January) in York Magistrates Court. It was also a landmark verdict in that it was secured using the Serious Crime Act 2007, which police believe to be the first of its kind in the country.
"...you'll never work as a gamekeeper again..." District Judge Lower
Raptor Persecution UK’s Ruth Tingay was present throughout the court proceedings, and offers an excellent insight into District Judge Lower’s remarks prior to sentencing. The judge’s rather puzzling comments in considering the appropriate sentence (under the Serious Crime Act 2007) included the following:
“Some take the view that Hen Harriers are, to say the least, a pest, and that they have to be shot to prevent them predating Red Grouse, and this brings in to issue the management of grouse farms and those responsible for the management of farms because it’s a business, and if there aren’t any Red Grouse for others to shoot as part of a day out then there is no business“.
But he also noted that “…you’ll never work as a gamekeeper again as a consequence of your behaviour and this is more of a punishment than any I can impose this morning.”
We learned that the judge was disregarding Dingwall’s previous conviction for violence as not relevant, and settled for a fine and prosecution costs totalling £1,520, which the defendant confirmed he would be able to pay. As Ruth Tingay notes, the fine doesn’t remotely reflect the seriousness of his offending. “I’d say it was an insult to everyone who worked so hard to bring the case to court and it’s certainly no deterrent whatsoever to anyone else thinking of killing a Hen Harrier”.
"Government licensing of grouse shooting is now essential to change practices in this sector"
In an RSPB press release following the verdict, Mark Thomas, UK Head of Investigations, said:
“This landmark conviction has shone a light on this issue, revealing the lengths individuals will go to in order to illegally target these protected birds of prey. Shockingly, over 100 Hen Harriers have been confirmed or suspected to have been illegally killed on or near grouse moors in the UK in just the last five years. The RSPB will not rest until the future for this bird is secured and that can only happen with legislative change. Government licensing of grouse shooting is now essential to change practices in this sector“.
In a further twist, the satellite tagged Hen Harrier that was deliberately scared from the roost was an RSPB tagged bird, called Ataksak. She had fledged from a nest in the Forest of Bowland just three months previously. Tragically, in January 2025 Ataksak was found dead very close to another grouse moor in North Yorkshire. Toxicological analysis revealed that she had died after ingesting a highly toxic mixture of pesticides known by experts as the Nidderdale cocktail, which has been associated with numerous bird of prey persecution incidents in recent years. This incident is yet another crime against a Hen Harrier and is also under investigation by North Yorkshire Police.
Dingwall pleaded guilty to both offences at York Magistrates’ Court where he was ordered to pay a total of £1,520 in fines, victim surcharge and prosecution costs.
After the sentencing hearing, Inspector Mark Earnshaw, of North Yorkshire Police, said:
“The cruel and illegal persecution of hen harriers and other birds of prey is totally unacceptable. This outcome at court follows a thorough police investigation, and incontrovertible evidence. It should send a strong message to anyone else engaged in this criminality: they will be investigated, identified, and put before the courts to face the consequences of their actions.”
Second Successful Prosecution from RSPB Covert Footage
Dingwall was not the only gamekeeper successfully prosecuted in January thanks to RSPB covert filming. Thomas Munday, a gamekeeper on the Hovingham Estate in North Yorkshire, was filmed brutally beating to death a Buzzard caught in a crow trap, and pleaded guilty at Scarborough Magistrates Court. He was fined £1,215 and, like Dingwall, also lost his job, according to BBC News.
RSPB Senior Investigations Officer Howard Jones commented:
“The casual and brutal killing of the buzzard is extremely upsetting to watch and it’s clear that Munday has a complete disregard for the law, and the legislation that protects these birds.
Frustratingly, this incident isn’t a one off but is just the latest example of the cruel and disturbing lengths some individuals will go to in order to illegally kill birds of prey.”
Seven Shocking Stories of Hen Harrier Persecution
Just a few days before the Dingwall court case, the RSPB gave an update on Hen Harrier persecution on English grouse moors.
It revealed that seven satellite tagged Hen Harriers are suspected or confirmed to have been illegally killed on our near land managed for grouse shooting in England in 2025 alone.
Ataksak, the ‘boxed’ bird scared off by Dingwall and his cronies, was poisoned by the notorious ‘Nidderdale cocktail’ of lethal banned poisons close to a grouse moor in North Yorkshire in January 2025. This poison made news in 2020 when two spaniels fell ill and one died from consuming the lethal mix.
Sita, a young female Hen Harrier tagged thanks to donations from Hen Harrier Action supporters, disappeared on the 27th February in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, close to the grouse moors of the Grinton Estate and Bolton Estate. The RSPB press release described the Yorkshire Dales National Park as becoming a ‘no-fly zone for birds of prey’.
Alongside Ataksak and Sita, The RSPB article disclosed a further five Hen Harrier deaths on or near English grouse moors during 2025, including Dynamo, one of two male Hen Harriers that disappeared in an eight-day period from the Forest of Bowland; Wadrew, a male bird that disappeared on a grouse moor near Birkdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park; Morrigan, who suddenly disappeared in a notorious persecution hotspot in the North Pennines; Beatrix, a female that disappeared in a grouse moor dominated area near Allendale in the North Pennines; and Red, who disappeared in the North Pennines in County Durham.
There's Still Time to Donate to Hen Harrier Action's Satellite Tag Fundraising Appeal
While the news of two successful prosecutions is welcome, there is still much to be done to protect Hen Harriers.
Our fundraising appeal to provide satellite tags for more young birds this year is still open for donations.
