A PROMINENT huntsman has denied the Hunting Office gives “coded messages” on how to break the law during his evidence in the trial of the Masters of Foxhounds Association director accused of giving advice on how to carry out illegal foxhunts.

Mark Hankinson, from Sherborne, is alleged to have admitted trail hunting was a cover for the unlawful chasing and killing of animals during a series of online seminars.

It is claimed he told 100 members how to use the legal form of hunting, where horseback riders and hounds follow a scent which is laid prior to the hunt, as a “smokescreen” for illicit hunts.

The 60-year-old was arrested after two webinars held in August 2020 were leaked to anti-hunting groups and posted online.

Hankinson appeared on day two of his trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court wearing a pinstripe suit, shirt and tie.

Major Tim Easby, the former director of the Masters of Foxhounds Association and Hunting Office, was called as a witness for the defence.

During his evidence Maj Easby, a member of packs in North Yorkshire, described Mr Hankinson, who he claimed to have known since the mid-90s, as “very straight, very direct and sincere”.

“One of the primary roles of the Hunting Office is to direct people on how to hunt within the law,” Maj Easby said.

Adding that Hankinson’s role prior to taking over as director was to travel around the country, visiting different hunting organisations, to make sure they were abiding by the legislation.

He said training had become essential to deal with animal rights protesters, often referred to as “saboteurs”.

“It ranges from groups of people calmly filming from the roadside, to gangs wearing black masks marauding across the countryside,” he said.

“They aimed to disrupt initially, but now they try and secure some kind of prosecution by making an allegation against us.”

However he denied he or anyone in the Hunting Office had ever offered “coded messages” on how to subvert the law, when cross-examined by prosecutor Greg Gordon.

He also said he had not watched the seminars which are the focus of the trial.

Major Easby led a campaign against the ban on hunting following it coming into power in 2004.

During this time he was regional committee chairman of Masters of Foxhounds Association.

Nicholas Leeming, a joint master of the Cottesmore Hunt in Leicestershire for 10 years, also gave evidence in Hankinson’s defence.

He told the court the webinars on offer from the Hunting Office helped packs “comply with the legislation”, adding that they rely on “good advice” to adopt the laws.

In cross examination, Mr Leeming was asked about a member of his pack, Dean Jones, who was convicted in 2015 of blocking up a badger sett, hours before a hunt was due to take place.

Interfering with a badger sett, a practice used to prevent foxes from escaping underground during a hunt, has been illegal since 2004.

Mr Leeming claimed repeatedly that he could not recall the case despite Mr Jones having been an employee of the pack.

Patrick Berners Leigh-Pemberton was also called to give evidence as someone who attended the webinar.

The son of Robin Leigh-Pemberton, who was made a member of the Privy Counsel, the advisory body to the monarch, in 1987, claimed he logged on to “learn best practice”.

He said: “The major theme was to ensure that we had as an organisation present ourselves as abiding by the law.

“Which may seem obvious but lots of people find that hard to believe.

“If we can provide evidence we are abiding by the law then we might reduce the level of acrimony that occurs and we can carry on enjoying our sport.”

Dr David Martin, the prosecutions expert witness who has produced reports in 25 hunting cases, agreed that if the webinars were in order to provide advice on how to best conduct trail hunting and and gather evidence then it was “sensible”.

However, he said the advice given by Hankinson went “further than that”.

Hankinson is an employee of the Hunting Office, an executive body for more than 170 hunting packs in England and Wales, and which hosted the webinars.

Since the Zoom webinars were leaked big landowners including the National Trust, Forestry England, Lake District National Park, United Utilities and Natural Resources Wales have suspended licences for trail hunting.