Organized hare-coursing gangs overrun Cambridgeshire farm, leaving carcasses and chaos

Illegal hare coursing convoy overruns Cambridgeshire farm, residents trapped

More than a dozen 4x4s and a crowd of around 70 people in military-style clothing and balaclavas drove across Mathew Latta’s remote Cambridgeshire farm, cutting iron gates with an angle grinder and tearing up fields while dogs hunted hares, his family and police accounts show.

Latta and his family were confined to their home for over three hours as the convoy invaded fields, abandoned vehicles and left one car burned out; the group also reportedly forced other road users off the road and robbed a petrol station during a wider rampage across a 20-mile area of the county.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary said it was “very stretched” on the day and later arrested more than 40 people, charging 25, with prosecutions following; officers discovered a large engraved trophy, the Super 8 Cup, linked to recurring illegal competitions.

Investigations by BBC reporters into dumped carcasses in Hampshire villages uncovered dozens of dead hares, rabbits and protected birds left as trophies or taunts outside a primary school and a village shop, prompting forensic inquiries and at least one arrest and conviction for handling protected species.

National wildlife and rural crime leads told police inquiries that large hare-coursing events now involve significant sums, with reported prize money and entry fees revealed in seized evidence and some livestreamed gambling connections; high levels of organisation and coordinated mass participation were cited as challenges for rural police forces.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The reporting identifies a shift from ad hoc local coursing to highly organised, large-scale events involving regional travel, trophies and substantial cash stakes, with evidence of intimidation, vehicle abandonment and links to organised criminal activity, while police operations have resulted in multiple arrests and seizures tied to these events.

Farmers’ responses collected by rural organisations show widespread land damage and numerous threats, while wildlife investigators documented deliberate placement of carcasses as messages to communities and evidence used in prosecutions included CCTV and seized phones showing competition arrangements and prize details.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• Dozens of vehicles and around 70 people in military-style clothing invaded a Cambridgeshire farm, forcing occupants to remain inside.
• Police later arrested more than 40 people and charged 25 in connection with the event; a trophy named the Super 8 Cup was recovered.
• Investigations linked dumped carcasses in Hampshire villages to organised hare-coursing activity; at least one conviction for handling protected birds followed.