A man who persistently flouted a 10 year animal ban has been jailed after the local farming community came forward with crucial information about his illegal activities.
Thanks in part to their vigilance, Michael Hawkswell was caught by police on six occasions breaching a court order to prevent harm or suffering to animals.
The 45-year-old appeared at York Magistrates Court on Wednesday (8 September) where he was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison.
In April 2019, he was issued with an Animal Disqualification Order to prevent harm or suffering to animals, which disqualified him from owning, keeping or participating in keeping any animals.
Acting on intelligence received by local farmers about his activities, North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force stopped him on the A1(M) on 1 July 2020.
In the back of his Toyota Hilux were several crates full of poultry. In total, officers found 47 hens, four geese, three guinea fowl, ten ducks and two cardboard boxes containing a dozen chicks.
Hawkswell was arrested on suspicion of breaching the order. He was subsequently charged with this breach, and two more breaches after it emerged he had also been witnessed unloading, buying and selling poultry at auctions in June.
He pleaded guilty to these three breaches on 16 April 2021. However, he had continued to flout the order just weeks before that court appearance.
On 24 February 2021, he was stopped by officers in his vehicle in Harrogate. He was arrested after seven sheep were found in a trailer he was towing.
On 23 March 2021, he was again stopped in his vehicle just off junction 47 of the A1(M). And he was again arrested when police found two animal cages inside his vehicle, one of which contained a live duck.
He was charged with a further breach after officers located an animal movement certificate inside his vehicle, showing he had bought two goats from a farm in October 2020.
When he appeared in court, he was sentenced for all six breaches, in addition to an existing suspended sentence – a total of 32 weeks in prison.
He was also disqualified from keeping poultry, sheep and goats for ten years – until 8 September 2031. And he was disqualified from driving for 68 weeks.
PC Mark Atkinson, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force, said: “Michael Hawkswell knew full well that he wasn’t allowed to have anything to do with animals – with a court order in place to protect them from suffering at his hands.
“However, he has repeatedly shown a blatant disregard for that court order, and persistently breached it on a number of occasions.
“Members of the farming community were aware of Hawkswell’s illegal activity, and came forward with crucial information, allowing us to arrest him and put him before the court.
"I would like to thank everyone who has spoken to the police in relation to Hawkswell’s activities – your assistance has been so vital and helped our team to put the strongest case together."
