Man jailed after stabbing a wild boar and filming two dogs attacking it

A man has been jailed and banned from keeping dogs for 10 years after he stabbed a wild boar and filmed two dogs attacking it.

Luke Rix was jailed for 18 weeks after an RSPCA investigation that led to a raid on a property in Gloucestershire.

He appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court where he admitted to three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

He was also ordered to pay £500 in costs and a £128 victim surcharge.

The 32-year-old used his dogs to hunt the wild animals and on one occasion his dogs viciously attacked a boar. Rix then inhumanely slaughtered it in the woods.

The RSPCA was contacted after videos and images of the incident were discovered on an iPad belonging to Rix by his former partner.

Gloucestershire Police, alongside the RSPCA, conducted a warrant at an address in Broadwell, Moreton-In-Marsh last year (2021).

Officers found electronic devices with evidence on, protective Kevlar dog vests which act as body armour, and also special dog collars that were used to protect the dogs from injury when attacking animals. A banned breed of dog was also seized from the address.

Investigators had been looking into reports that Rix was using his dogs for baiting wild boar and illegally hunting other wild animals.

From the seized devices, previously deleted videos from his social media accounts were forensically retrieved and they revealed numerous crimes under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

One clip contained disturbing footage of Rix filming whilst two dogs – one being his dog Gunner – attacked a wild boar.

Rix can be heard to be encouraging the dogs saying “look at that boys – big pig- go on boys” and the dogs can be seen latched onto the neck area of the boar as it screams in pain and distress. The boar was already bleeding from a wound caused by Rix stabbing it.

Additional footage included conversations about the boar hunt, which had taken place in the Forest of Dean, where there is discussion regarding this hunt and injuries to a dog.

A veterinary expert concluded that the boar would have experienced unnecessary suffering in the form of pain and fear and it will have experienced intense pain until the point of loss of consciousness due to blood loss.

In her statement, the vet said: “The dogs have control of the boar which as a result is unable to escape from the situation and is therefore under the control of Rix.

"The dogs were placed into a situation with the wild boar where their safety and welfare were compromised and as a result, the black dog sustained injuries.”

The vet who examined Gunner found he had a fractured tooth, missing teeth and a dental disease that was so severe the vet felt this would have caused pain for at least three years.

Records showed he had not seen a vet since 2019, at which time Rix had been advised that the fractured tooth needed removing due to associated infection and dental disease was pointed out.

Following his rescue, Gunner had to have more than 20 teeth removed. One of Rix's dogs has already been rehomed, and the other is in the process of being rehomed.

In an interview, Rix said he had always hunted and had previously been a gamekeeper.

A spokesperson for the Rural Crime Team said: "These acts of cruelty to animals are horrendous, and we will not tolerate this in our beautiful countryside - they cause a huge disturbance to our rural communities and create fear.

"The Rural Crime Team will continue to work with partner agencies to bring criminals to justice and help protect the county's wildlife and its rural residents."

RSPCA solicitor Lindi Meyer, who represented the charity in court, said: “Other seized videos and photos showed dogs ripping apart a fox, dogs with injuries, terriers tormenting a caged rat, and discussions of boar, badger and fox hunting, and conversations with people on social media regarding his hunting exploits.

She went on to say that whilst he had not been prosecuted over those, the evidence against Rix showed "this is a game to him which he will glorify by filming".

In mitigation, the court was told Rix was going through a difficult time because of a relationship breakdown and business issues.