Researcher specialising in foxhunting, wildlife criminology and the policing of hunting with hounds
I am a criminologist specialising in fox hunting with hounds, rural criminology and the policing of wildlife crime .My research examines contemporay foxhunting and its post ban manifestation, "trail hunting", as a social, political and criminal justice issue. With a particular focus on the policing of foxhunting, and the enforcement of the Hunting Act 2004, I examine how networks of power shape how contemporay foxhunting is facilitated.
Drawing on critical and green criminological perspectives my work combines academic research with extensive field experience observing hunts, wildlife crime enforcement and engagement with those directly involved,. My work explores the gap between legislation and its implementation, the challenges of investigating suspected illegal hunting, and the experiences of those who seek to protect wildlife.
About me
I recently completed my PhD in Criminology at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne. My doctoral research investigated the policing of organised foxhunting and anti-hunt activism in England and Wales.
My research interests sit primarily within wildlife criminology, green criminology and the study of powerful interests within the criminal justice system. I am particularly interested in how wildlife crime is investigated and policed, whose accounts are accepted as credible, and how institutional and social relationships can influence the application of the law.
My interest in foxhunting extends beyond academia. I have long opposed foxhunting and am actively involved in the anti-hunt movement. This practical engagement has informed my research questions and strengthened my interest in understanding how hunting operates on the ground, how suspected offences are documented, and why enforcement can be so challenging.
I believe that understanding foxhunting requires more than examining individual incidents or the wording of legislation. It requires consideration of the wider cultural, social and institutional context in which hunting takes place.
My approach combines critical academic inquiry with a commitment to evidence, careful analysis and a willingness to engage with differing perspectives.
My PhD research
Title:
No Justice. Just Us: A Mixed-Methods Ethnographic Study of Organised Fox Hunting and Anti-Hunt Activism in England and Wales
My PhD research examined the policing of organised foxhunting and anti-hunt activism, focusing on the Hunting Act 2004 and the operation of the law in practice.
Drawing on critical criminology, green criminology and the concept of crimes of the powerful, the research investigated how suspected illegal hunting is understood, investigated and policed. It also explored the experiences of those involved in monitoring hunting and protecting wildlife, alongside the perspectives of police officers, hunt communities and other relevant stakeholders.
The study used a mixed-methods approach, incorporating:
· Freedom of Information requests
· Ethnographic observations
· Qualitative interviews with participants across England and Wales
Interviewees included anti-hunt groups and activists, hunt monitors, professional hunt investigators, campaign groups, police officers, members of local communities, and people within hunt communities, including former hunt supporters.
By examining these differing perspectives, the research explored not only the practical challenges of enforcing the Hunting Act but also the wider relationships, assumptions and power structures that influence the policing of hunting with hounds.
Key research themes:
1. The truth about trail hunting
2. Protecting the trail-hunting myth
3. The cloak of invisibility
4. Networks of power
5. Policing hunt power networks
Together, these themes contribute to a wider examination of the challenges facing wildlife protection, criminal justice and accountability in the countryside.
Publications based upon research findings:
“It’s just totally lawless out here”: A rural green criminological exploration of foxhunting, policing, and ‘regulatory capture.’
Co-authored with my Supervisors Professor Tanya Wyatt and Dr Nathan Stephens-Griffin. This paper applies the concept of ‘regulatory capture’ to the case of foxhunting, in order to explore the policing of foxhunting through a rural green criminological lens.
This article is open access and can be viewed here:
https://criminologicalencounters.org/index.php/crimenc/article/view/94
Doctoral research and further outputs
My PhD provides the foundation for my continuing research into foxhunting, wildlife criminology and the policing of hunting with hounds. Further publications, research findings and related outputs will be listed here as they become available.
Research interests and collaboration
My research interests include:
· Wildlife criminology and green criminology
· Foxhunting and hunting with hounds
· The Hunting Act 2004 and its enforcement
· Police responses to suspected wildlife crime
· Regulatory capture and crimes of the powerful
· Landownership, social networks and rural power structures
· Hunt monitoring, anti-hunt activism and citizen-led evidence gathering
I welcome enquiries about research, academic collaboration, interviews, speaking opportunities and consultations or discussions relating to foxhunting, wildlife crime and the policing of hunting with hounds. Media enquiries welcome
For enquiries, please contact:
