Derbyshire man jailed for trapping wild birds
A Derbyshire man who trapped and sold wild birds has been jailed for 18 weeks and banned from keeping animals for 12 years.
Russell Yates, of Peveril Road, Tibshelf, admitted a number of charges, including causing 76 pigeons to suffer and trapping wild birds for sale.
He was also sentenced for causing at least six dogs to suffer.
Yates was ordered to pay £1,000 costs to the RSPCA, which said he was running a "serious operation".
The animal charity, working jointly with Derbyshire police, said it raided Yates' home, acting on intelligence gleaned from a similar operation.
Insp Carroll Lamport, from the RSPCA, said: "This wasn't just a hobby, this was a money-making, profitable business.
"There are lots of bird keepers in the UK and there are auctions almost daily. The large majority of them are legal, but this man was selling birds up and down the country."