CCTV footage has caught a man allegedly dumping 50 dead hares outside a village shop.
The shocking clip was shown in court during the trial of Jamie Kempster.
The 39-year-old suspect is charged with two counts of possessing a dead bird under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and a charge of criminal damage to the shop front.
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Kempster, from Totton, Southampton, is now on trial at Southampton Magistrates’ Court, as reported by Need To Know.
The court heard that the alleged incident of 50 hares being dumped outside the Broughton Community Shop, Stockbridge, was caught on CCTV.
Kempster has been accused of leaving the deceased animals outside the shopfront, which is run by volunteers.
The footage taken at around 3.23am on 15 Mar 2024, shows a hooded figure and another in a dark hat, launching the hares out the back of a vehicle.
The court heard from prosecutor Adam Cooper that the scene was like something from a “horror movie”, as reported by ITV.
The Crown alleges that one of the two men in the footage is Kempster.
The prosecutor stated that DNA on the dead animals matched the defendant.
Kempster was also linked to the incident by his mobile phone location, clothes and a connection to the vehicle, which was found burned out down a country lane.
Cooper said the motive for the alleged crime was unknown.
Kempster has denied the charges as the trial continues.
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