A Wiltshire gameskeeper has admitted dumping nine dead birds of prey down a well in England's largest raptor persecution investigation.

Archie Watson, 21, pleaded guilty to possessing five dead buzzards, three red kites and a herring gull after he was secretly filmed throwing the carcasses in a well on a Beckhampton farm in 2020.

He denied killing the birds discovered on Galtee More Farm between August and September 2020.

Swindon Advertiser: Archie Watson dumping a package in the well. Credit: Crown Prosecution ServiceArchie Watson dumping a package in the well. Credit: Crown Prosecution Service

RSPB investigations officer Jack Ashton-Booth, who was involved in lowering a secret camera into the well, described the stench as "gut-wrenching".

He said: "I wasn’t at all prepared for the scale of what was at the bottom of these rumours.

"After lifting the cover to the well, I was hit by a gut-wrenching warm air flow and the overriding smell of death. 

"There at the bottom was a lifeless mass of raptor corpses and parts. It was a horrific sight.”

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is illegal to kill or possess a wild bird, alive or dead.

 

The RSPB team also installed a covert video camera to monitor the site and the footage showed that Watson had lifted a manhole cover and dropped a dead buzzard into the well on one of his 13 visits.

At this point, a large-scale multi-agency operation was launched including Hampshire Constabulary Specialist Search Team and Natural England.

Specialist police officers were lowered into the well using a winch and they recovered two bags of animal remains. 

Swindon Advertiser: Credit: RSPBCredit: RSPB

Defending the 21-year-old at Swindon Magistrates' Court, Mr Lee said: "Mr Watson wishes to make it very clear he has never caused any unnecessary suffering to animals, never killed any of those animals and certainly there is no evidence he has done so.

"He has come into possession of those birds after they have died; those birds were found on private farmland and not the roads.

"He says that in his role as gamekeeper on occasions he is to ensure the site is kept clear."

Swindon Advertiser: Credit: CPSCredit: CPS

Magistrates were more concerned about the three charges relating to the shotgun and firearms. Watson admitted leaving a loaded shotgun on the backseat of his vehicle and firearms lying around his house along with ammunition.

Mr Lee claimed the defendant had become "complacent" about storing the guns securely but that the court case had been a "hard and difficult and stressful lesson" which had been "hanging over his head" for a long period of time.

Magistrates said that while it was "surprising" so many birds had been found dead "in such a small area", there was no evidence to suggest Watson's responsibility for their deaths.

Swindon Advertiser: Watson entering Swindon Magistrates' Court. Credit: SWNSWatson entering Swindon Magistrates' Court. Credit: SWNS

However, they highlighted that the firearms offences were "more serious" because others could access the property. 

Watson, of Dragon Lane in Pewsey, received a 12-month community order to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and he must pay £393 in costs and a victim surcharge of £95.

After the sentencing, PC Marc Jackson said: “It is certainly unusual for so many birds of prey to be found dead in such a small area and Wiltshire Police will continue to work with partners to help raise awareness and bring before the courts those who are suspected of committing such crimes within Wiltshire and Swindon.”

RSPB's head of investigations Mark Thomas added: “The shocking discovery of this tomb of raptors is a reminder of the horrors of raptor persecution.

“Whilst it is not known who was involved or where these birds were killed, we believe it is highly likely they were illegally killed.”

“Raptor persecution is at an all-time high and overwhelmingly associated with land managed for gamebird shooting.”