Ex-Cheshire huntsman John ‘Ollie’ Finnegan was found guilty of one count of hunting a wild mammal with dogs this September and was fined £468. The charge related to an incident that took place on a trail hunt on November 26, 2022, with the Cheshire Hunt. This marks the first time someone has been convicted of foxhunting in Cheshire (a county in northwest England).
Finnegan was originally convicted for this same incident (November 26, 2022) in August 2023. His case must have been hampered because he didn’t show up for court multiple times, probably because he had moved to Ireland. However, he successfully appealed this conviction and had the high fines and employment restrictions thrown out. But in a twist, the Cheshire authorities recharged Finnegan in 2024 for the same offenses (occurring on November 26, 2022). He was convicted again this September but with a much lower fine the second time around.
Finnegan was also convicted of illegal hunting when he was the huntsman for The Quorn the season before his year with Cheshire. This conviction was based on damning text messages after authorities seized his cell phone (Troubling Start to Britain’s Year). He has also been accused of illegal hunting, without conviction, twice before.
With the Labour Party’s promise to ban trail hunting after their election win this year, the hunt saboteurs will not let this conviction be ignored.