CAMBRIDGESHIRE huntsman George Adams has been convicted of illegally killing a fox and fined £1,000.

Mr Adams was found guilty at Peterborough magistrates’ court on Wednesday of breaking the Hunting Act, which came into force in 2005. He was also ordered to pay £950 in costs.

The court heard that the Fitzwilliam Hunt, like several other fox hunts, had been exploiting a loophole in the law by using a bird of prey to kill the fox after it had been flushed out by the hounds, but on this occasion the fox was killed by the pack instead.

Prosecutor Joe Bird described the practice as a “smokescreen” to allow hunting to continue after the ban.

The League Against Cruel Sports welcomed Mr Adams’s conviction and expressed hope that it would “act as a deterrent” to illegal fox hunts.

Campaigns director Chris Luffingham said the verdict sent the message that killing British wildlife “will not be tolerated” and that those responsible can be successfully prosecuted.

Mr Luffingham revealed that the charity had received 550 reports of illegal hunting since the start of the hunting season last autumn.

“These figures are merely the tip of the iceberg and many thousands of animals are still being killed every year,” he said.