Hunt trial put back to April

The case is expected to be the last under current legislation.

The trial of a leading Buccleuch Hunt member accused of illegally hunting a fox with dogs has been put back until April.

It is expected to be to be the final trial under the current fox hunting legislation north of the border after the Scottish Parliament approved a new law.

Myles O'Connor, 29, is charged with hunting a wild mammal, namely a fox, with dogs at Middlemoor Plantation at Hume near Kelso, on December 22, 2021.

Traditional fox hunting was banned in Scotland in 2002 but hunts, in some forms, are still permitted with dogs only allowed to be used to flush foxes from cover to waiting guns.

But just last month, MSPs voted in favour of new legislation which limits hunting with packs of dogs north of the border.

The Scottish Government said The Hunting with Dogs Bill aims to close loopholes which allow the practice of killing wild animals, including foxes, rabbits and hares.

It replaces a previous law passed in 2002 and means hunters will no longer be able to use packs of hounds to flush out wild mammals unless they have a licence.

The law will also prohibit trail hunting where dogs follow a scent.

Meanwhile, O'Connor, who gave an address near Melrose, and is one of the leading members of the Buccleuch Hunt, is charged under the current legislation and his trial is expected to be the last before the law changes.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge and will stand trial at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on April 27.