A man from Northern Ireland has been charged yet again with animal cruelty. His case is a prime example of how courts are failing to stop those with a bloodlust for killing animals.
36-year-old Neil Pinkerton didn’t show up at Newtownards court in County Down on 13 October, but his barrister told the District Judge that he intends to plead not guilty to the charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a badger.
He is accused of badger baiting – a cruel bloodsport which, although secretive, is prolific. Baiting involves men sending their terriers down a sett to find a badger and corner her, while the men then dig and drag the badger out. They will then unleash their dogs on the poor animal. Badgers always die during this fight, while dogs are victims, too, often suffering from brutal injuries. While hunting wild animals with dogs is not illegal in Northern Ireland – it is the only part of the UK without legislation – badgers are a protected species, and their setts are also protected under the Wildlife Order (Northern Ireland) 1985 as amended by the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.
A prolific offender
Pinkerton is notorious in Northern Ireland for his depraved animal cruelty. Despite the spotlight on him, as well as court appearances, current legislation and punishment don’t seem to be enough to stop him from re-offending. The courts also don’t protect dogs that have the misfortune to end up in his care, exploited for his sick kicks.
He is a serial offender. In March 2024, Pinkerton pleaded guilty to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Order, after a dog in his care attacked an 11-year-old boy. He received a four-month suspended sentence. The judge ordered the dog to be kept in an enclosure, and then muzzled and leashed when in public.
In 2022, Pinkerton featured in the BBC Northern Ireland documentary Exposed: Hunting with Dogs – Spotlight. That same year, he dodged charges of animal cruelty despite a year-long investigation by the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA), the League Against Cruel Sports and Nature Watch. The organisations gathered evidence of private chats, videos and photos of his cruelty to animals. The PSNI (Police Service Northern Ireland) then raided his home and seized 12 dogs that had been kept in cages in his garden and his kitchen. But the dogs were given back to him, and no charges were made against him.
And before that, in 2018, he was disgracefully allowed to keep a dog named Judy after using her for fox baiting, and subjecting the dog to the most horrific injuries. He appeared in court, accused of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog and a fox, and was accused of causing further suffering to the dog after failing to get necessary treatment to cure her injuries. The court was shown a video clip of the two animals fighting in 2016. Judy was forced into a den to corner the fox, and then both were dug out by Pinkerton. The judge instructed the jury to acquit Pinkerton, making the incredible claim that “no suffering was caused to the fox”.
These are all apt examples of how the courts are failing both wildlife and dogs, whether it be through lenient sentences for badger and fox baiting, or hunting with dogs.
Baiting
Of course, there are many men like Pinkerton in the UK who are likely getting away with sadistic crimes against animals. Baiting is rife in both Britain and Northern Ireland – and particularly badger baiting. A 2023 USPCA report states that there are:
“in excess of 150 active badger baiters in Northern Ireland. The badger baiting season is September to March, a period of seven months or approximately 30 weeks. If each individual killed just one badger every two weeks during this period, this would mean that a total of 2250 (150 x 15 =2250) badgers are killed each year purely for sport or fun.”
The USPCA report states that the rise in social media has seen an increase in men filming and bragging about their “perceived accomplishments”, sharing their kills in private Facebook groups. Social media also makes it easier for the men to connect with each other and grow their networks. The report continues:
“When not baiting badgers, these violent men, who get off on the blood lust and cruelty of pitting animals against each other to fight to the death, are hunting foxes with their dogs. This is the underbelly of fox hunting in Northern Ireland. The dogs also suffer severe injuries from this fight to the death and these injuries are a rite of passage, giving kudos to the owners who brag about their exploits on social media.”
We need urgent change
Animals – including dogs – need urgent protection from men like Pinkerton. The USPCA wrote in its 2023 report:
“Statistics acquired by the BBC from the Department of Justice reveal that there have only been eleven prosecutions relating to killing or injuring wild animals in Northern Ireland since 2011. Fewer than three of these individuals were subsequently convicted.”
