A huntsman with the Fitzwilliam Hunt has been fined £1,000 after he was convicted of hunting a wild mammal with dogs.

George Adams, 66, who lives in the Peterborough area, was in charge of the pack of hounds when it killed a fox near Elton in Huntingdonshire on January 1, 2016.

A falconer, who was present at the hunt with a golden eagle, was cleared when the two men appeared before magistrates at Peterborough.

Adams had denied the hunting charge but was convicted after a two-day trial. In addition to the fine he was ordered to pay £950 costs.

The court heard that the hunt started in Wansford and that the fox was eventually killed near Elton by the pack of hounds.

The falconer was present because birds of prey are sometimes used to kill foxes flushed out by hounds during a hunt in order to stay within the law.

Magistrates were told that on this occasion when the scent of the fox was picked up by the hounds, the bird was not released and the fox was killed by the pack.

The falconer was cleared of hunting a wild animal with a dog and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire police said: “We take breaches of the Hunting Act very seriously and we will do all we can to bring people to justice who do not comply with the law.”