Farmer run down by hare courser’s vehicle
Police are appealing for witnesses after illegal hare coursers mowed down a landowner with their car when he confronted them in a Suffolk village. The gang then drove at a woman before ramming another vehicle.
The man required hospital treatment following the incident at Hitcham, near Stowmarket, last Sunday (11 November). The Country Land and Business Association said it re-emphasised the need for rural crime to “not be forgotten” by newly-elected police and crime commissioners.
The followed multiple reports to police earlier of hare coursers trying to operate in Flixton, Ampton, Rattlesden and Pakenham. The landowner, in his 60s, spotted the men hare coursing on private land in the village, but when he confronted them, they drove their vehicle at him.
He suffered a back injury and cuts and was later taken to West Suffolk Hospital for treatment. Police said the men also drove their vehicle towards a woman, who was not hit, and then rammed the victims’ car before leaving in the direction of Preston St Mary.
Officers are carrying out extensive enquiries in the area and are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen the vehicle used in the attack. It is described as a blue ‘T’ registration Subaru that may be extensively damaged.
CLA East regional director, Nicola Currie, who lives in Hitcham, said it was a worrying incident.
She said the family involved was “highly respected”, and she understood they had been left very shaken by the ordeal.
“There is an important message, with the police and crime commissioner election around the corner, and that is the importance of not forgetting rural crime.”
Unless all forces in the region tackled the issue, hare coursing would simply be “squeezed” into those counties where it was not a policing priority. “Police forces have got to learn to work together on this.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Suffolk Police on 101.
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