Egg smuggler sentenced to 30 months

[SpikyPhasmid]

BBC News - Man admits bid to smuggle peregrine falcon eggs

"A man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after admitting attempting to smuggle rare bird eggs out of Britain.

Jeffrey Lendrum, 48, from York Close, Towcester, Northamptonshire, was found in possession of 14 peregrine falcon eggs when he was detained on 3 May.

He was arrested at Birmingham Airport as he waited for a flight to Dubai.

Lendrum, who pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court, was caught with the eggs strapped to his body after he was seen acting suspiciously by a cleaner.

He had wrapped the eggs, which had been stolen from a nest in south Wales and were worth £70,000 on the black market, in socks before taping them to his chest."

Nice to see someone caught. I also like the judge's comments:

'Judge Hodson was told Lendrum was sorry for his actions.

The judge said: "These were eggs you had removed from the wild in Wales and you would have reduced the number of these high-level endangered species in the wild, birds which enhance the attraction of the countryside to all.

"I quote the words of a Lord Justice of Appeal (Lord Justice Sedley) when he says, 'environmental crime, if established, strikes not only at a locality and its population but in some measure to the planet and its future'.

"'Nobody should be allowed to doubt its seriousness or to forget that one side of the environmental story is always untold'.

"I adopt these words to express the gravity of what you did."'

[mrbright]

ironic that he gets 'bird' for killing birds.
bread and water that birds exist on, is too good for that scumbag.

[solus]

"Sorry for his actions"!!!!

Pah! Sorry he got caught, more like. "Lendrum had previous convictions in Zimbabwe and Canada for stealing rare eggs and had at one stage abseiled from a helicopter to reach a remote nest."
Not all that "sorry", then!

How many nests would that have been he robbed to get 14 fertile eggs?

However, I am pleased to read that: "Of the 14 taken, 12 chicks hatched and 11 of them survived and were returned to the wild."

I also note he "was travelling on an Irish passport" and so I wonder if he could be deported to Ireland after he's served his sentence and never allowed back into the UK? I'd give him 30 years, not months, when you consider how long he will actually serve of that time! (And before you say murderers get less I'd change the way they were dealt with too!)

[elvisoneill]

Solus

Once he's served his time,as a EU passport holder he'll be free to go wherever

he likes.

Unfortunately wherever he likes is more than likely to be in search of

more birds'eggs.

Elvis

[Dogghound]

Hard to say how many nests usual clutch size is 3-4 eggs so about 4 nests. 30 months isnt that bad im sure he will come out and do it again, we need tougher sentences against wildlife crime.

[RobinP]

30 months means 15 months in some cosy open prison

[mrbright]

not to forget the 30-40,000 pounds the taxpayer will pay for his keep.

[posie]

the sheiks? he was going to sell them to also knew it was wrong, they are not being punished, they are soooo rich they can pay to get whatever they want...the demand creates the illegal acts to get the supply...Posie..

[Kayleigh]

This piece of **** lives down the road from me and if I saw him in the street would spit in his face or worse...
This make my blood boil..

[rossy]

yes great news that this cretin has been caught, and well done to the cleaner, lets hope more get nailed ! rossy.