Three men and a 15-year-old were arrested after a car was seen lamping a field off Hayley Lane, Long Sutton. Three dogs were taken and the car seized.

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of hare coursing in fields at Long Sutton, about two miles south of Odiham. Three men and a 15-year-old boy were detained late on Friday 4 September.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary was called at 11pm to reports of a Honda CR-V being driven around a field near Hayley Lane. The people inside were said to be shining a lamp, and the caller believed they were hare coursing. That is all set out in the force’s own statement, published on 7 September.

Officers found the car. Inside were three lurcher-type dogs and a number of lamps. The dogs were taken to kennels and the vehicle was seized.

Who was arrested, and on suspicion of what

None of the four lives locally. The force describes them as:

  • a 46-year-old man from Shepperton, Surrey
  • a 31-year-old man from Maidstone, Kent
  • a 22-year-old man from Tonbridge, Kent
  • a 15-year-old boy from Maidstone, Kent

All four were arrested on suspicion of participating in a hare coursing event, and of entering land as a trespasser at night with poaching equipment. The three men were also arrested on suspicion of driving when their alcohol level was above the limit.

All four have been bailed with conditions while police carry out further work. No one has been charged. An arrest is not a finding that anyone has done anything wrong.

Long Sutton hare coursing arrests, 4 September 2026, and the law since 2022 Four people were arrested: three men aged 46, 31 and 22 and a boy aged 15. Three lurcher-type dogs were taken to kennels and the car was seized. All four were arrested on suspicion of participating in a hare coursing event and trespassing at night with poaching equipment; the three men also on suspicion of drink driving. Since 1 August 2022, trespass with intent to use a dog to pursue a hare carries a prison sentence, a fine or both, and courts can order kennelling costs to be repaid and ban an offender from owning or keeping dogs. Long Sutton, Friday 4 September, 11pm What the force says happened, and what the law allows if anyone is later convicted 4 arrested 3 lurcher-type dogs taken 15 age of the youngest 0 charged so far Under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, in force since 1 August 2022 Trespassing with intent to use a dog to search for or pursue a hare, or being equipped to: a prison sentence, a fine, or both Where a dog was seized and kept: the court can order the offender to repay the kennelling costs Where a dog was used or present: the court can ban the offender from owning or keeping dogs Sources: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary statement, 7 September 2026; Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, sections 63 to 66. Graphic by Fleet & Hook News
An arrest is not a charge. The penalties apply only if someone is convicted.

Where it happened

Hayley Lane runs through Sutton Warblington, part of Long Sutton. It is open farmland in Hart district, joining the Alton Road south of Odiham.

What the law now says

Hare coursing events were already banned by section 5 of the Hunting Act 2004. On 1 August 2022 the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 added offences aimed squarely at trespassing to do it.

  • Trespass with intent. Section 63 makes it an offence to trespass on land intending to use a dog to search for or pursue a hare. It also covers helping someone do it, or trespassing to watch.
  • Being equipped. Section 64 covers having an article with you for that purpose, and the Act says an “article” includes a vehicle and an animal.
  • The penalty. Both can be punished in the magistrates’ court with prison, a fine, or both. The Act sets the maximum at 51 weeks, read as six months until a 2003 sentencing change takes effect.
  • The dogs. A court can order an offender to repay the costs of seizing and kennelling a dog under section 65. Under section 66 it can ban them from owning or keeping dogs.

The force’s statement does not say which specific offences it will ask prosecutors to consider.

Drone volunteers, but not in Hart yet

Two days after the Long Sutton statement, the force launched what it believes is the country’s first community drone project against rural crime. It named hare coursing as one of the crimes it is meant to help with.

Trained volunteers get an alert from the police control room through the GoodSAM app. They can then fly to support an incident in progress. The pilot has five volunteers so far.

It is funded by Test Valley Borough Council, North Wessex Downs National Landscape and the Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones. She said that “if successful I will roll it out across the whole police force area”. For now it is a pilot, and nothing in the announcement puts it in Hart.

What it means for you

  • If you see it happening, call 999. The force asks people to report rural crime “as they happen on 999”, in its statement on an earlier case.
  • For anything after the event, use 101 or the online form at hampshire.police.uk. That includes vehicles you think are scouting fields.
  • If you farm or own land around Odiham, Long Sutton or the Warnboroughs, the force’s illegal hunting page explains what is and is not lawful.

Sources