Maximum criminal prosecution for wildlife poisoning in Aberdeenshire

We signatory citizens and organisations demand the most rigorous and complete enforcement of the law following the illegal poisoning of a protected Eurasian Sparrowhawk in Aberdeenshire and the criminal use of a prohibited chemical substance.

The victim is an adult Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) a species strictly protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Its deliberate killing constitutes a serious criminal offence. The poisoning was carried out using carbosulfan, an insecticide whose use has been illegal in the United Kingdom since two thousand and eight. Carbosulfan is toxic and can cause death in humans. Its illegal and uncontrolled deployment represents a direct and significant threat to public health and the environment, extending beyond wildlife alone.

The illegal use of banned chemicals to kill wildlife is a form of criminality that erodes the rule of law and endangers rural communities. To uphold the integrity of Scottish conservation and public safety legislation, we demand that Police Scotland, in collaboration with environmental partners, conducts a rapid and well-funded investigation, treating the use of prohibited chemicals with the same seriousness as a crime against a person.

We also demand that the COPFS pursues prosecution for both offences. The charge must include the killing of a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The other charge must concern the illegal use and possession of dangerous toxic chemical substances such as carbosulfan.

The severity of the act, namely the use of prohibited poison and the premeditated death of a protected bird, must be fully taken into account during sentencing. The sentences imposed must establish a clear criminal precedent and serve as a powerful deterrent against future wildlife poisoning crimes.

We insist on the necessity for the authorities to demonstrate their commitment to upholding the law, protecting wildlife, and safeguarding the health and safety of Scottish citizens against the criminal use of banned poisons.