WILD JUSTICE TRIO WERE 'RILED AND FRUSTRATED' AT LACK OF PROSECUTIONS ON RAPTOR CRIME

Ruth Tingay - entertaining

THE campaigning organisation Wild Justice might instead have been called 'The Entity' if one of its directors had got her way.

“I thought it had a nice, sinister ring to it,” Ruth Tingay told a 150-plus audience in the Harrier lecture theatre at Birdfair.

However, she was overruled by her two unimpressed co-directors, Dr Mark Avery, a former  RSPB director and pipistrelle bat expert, and Chris Packham, the bloke off the telly.

"The name Wild Justice was suggested by Mark’s wife, Rosemary," recalled Ruth in her entertaining Powerpoint-free presentation.

"It's nice to see a full house," she continued.

 "The last time I spoke at Birdfair was on the subject of the Madagascar fish eagle - the audience was just seven,  and three of them were my mates!"

The directors  decided to set up the organisation out of frustration that cases of raptor crime were routinely  being deemed unworthy of prosecution by the Crown Office in Scotland even in instances where substantial video and other evidence was forthcoming.

“That really riled us," said Ruth. "Despite our inquiries, no reasons were given for the refusal to prosecute - it was deemed as not being in the public interest."

In despair, the three sought to take our private prosecutions, but the incidents were time-barred so this avenue proved to be a cul-de-sac.

Mark Avery - bat expert

After meeting with various sets of lawyers, Ruth and her colleagues decided to set up Wild Justice in October last year prior to going live in February this year.

They considered registering the organisation as a charity, but decided against this because it would have restricted their capacity to campaign.

Instead it is registered  as a company at Companies House.

The activities of Wild Justice are well documented on its own website plus the individual sites run by Mark and Ruth (who is also at the helm of Raptor Persecution UK).

Chris Packham - TV celebrity

From time to time, its activities are also described - though with less authority - on the websites of fieldsports organisations.

Funding for Wild Justice is from donations, with the directors receiving no salaries and claiming only expenses.

* Photos: Wild Justice website

* More reports from Birdfair to follow