A MAN has been found guilty of badger digging after being caught in the act by an undercover RSPCA inspector.

Gerard Monk, 27, of Millbrook Close, Wheelton, was filmed digging a badger sett in Shropshire woodland on May 11 last year.

Monk, and co-defendant Paul Billington, 37, from Wales, were found guilty of six charges at the conclusion of a two-day trial at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court.

Chief inspector Ian Briggs, from the RSPCA’s special operations unit, said: “To catch two men actually in the act of digging a badger sett is extremely rare, but the video evidence proved vital in bringing this case to court and securing a guilty verdict.

“Badger digging remains a serious problem in our countryside and one we are proactively targeting in order to bring those involved in this cruel activity to justice.”

The court was told the pair had arranged to meet at a roadside café on the Shropshire/Cheshire border early on the morning of May 11 2008, before going to dig a sett in Pond Wood, near Whitchurch, at about 8.30am.

The pair left the scene about 45 minutes later, after they saw the RSPCA covert inspector filming them.

Monk claimed he had been rabbiting and was digging to free his dog, while Billington also claimed to be digging for Monk’s terrier, which had run down a rabbit hole.

Billington claimed in court this was the first occasion the two men had ever met and they had arranged to meet as he was interested in buying a terrier bitch from Monk.

However there were numerous inconsistencies with the pair’s accounts and they were also found to have badger digging equipment with them.

PC Duncan Thomas, Lancashire Police’s wildlife officer, said: “Unfortunately badger digging is still alive and well in the North of England and within Lancashire.

“We are committed to stamping out this activity in close co-operation with our wildlife enforcement partners, in this case the RSPCA.

“Let me make the issue absolutely clear, if you’re caught digging badgers, we will confiscate the dogs, the equipment and any vehicles used and you will be brought before the courts.”

Sentencing will take place at Shrewsbury Magistrates on Wednesday, July 22.