Man jailed for filming dogs attacking badgers and foxes

A man from Barry has been jailed for ten months after setting his terriers on badgers and foxes, filming the attacks and sharing the videos on social media.

Mason James Paines, 24, of Pendoylan Close, Barry, admitted 12 offences of deliberately injuring or persecuting protected wildlife when he appeared at Cardiff Crown Court.

The prosecution was brought by the RSPCA after its Special Operations Unit received evidence from the animal welfare charity Naturewatch Foundation.

Judge Lucy Crowther told Paines that posting the graphic clips to TikTok, Instagram and Facebook was an aggravating feature of the case. She also banned him from keeping dogs for ten years.

Screaming

The court was shown footage recovered from Paines’ iPhone, including ten clips of dogs attacking badgers and one of dogs killing a fox. In several recordings, badgers could be heard screaming as the animals were set upon, while in another a man’s voice urged the dogs on.

One image shared online showed a terrier with a bloodied muzzle, accompanied by Paines’ comment: “He loves his jam this one.”

Investigators said his social media accounts, including one titled “Terriers days & nights out”, revealed evidence of sustained cruelty.

TikTok footage from November 2023 showed three dogs baiting a badger, two tearing at a badger, and two more killing a fox. Other clips showed animals being attacked during daylight and at night, a practice known as “lamping”.

‘Shock’

The court heard Paines claimed he filmed three of the incidents out of shock but made no attempt to intervene. Two terriers, Fern and Doris, were seized and taken to the RSPCA’s Merthyr Tydfil clinic for medical checks.

Paines pleaded guilty to five counts of wilfully injuring a badger under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, one charge of hunting a rat with dogs under the Hunting Act 2004, five offences of causing a dog to fight with a fox, and one of causing a dog to fight with a badger under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Judge Crowther imposed two ten-month prison terms and one two-month term, all to run concurrently.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “This case sends a powerful message that illegal persecution of wildlife will not be tolerated, both for the sake of the wild animals targeted and the dogs put at risk in the process.”