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| Two men guilty of badger digging | Two men guilty of badger digging |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Two men have been found guilty of using dogs to drive badgers out of their setts in Shropshire. | Two men have been found guilty of using dogs to drive badgers out of their setts in Shropshire. |
| Paul Billington, 32, of Wrexham and Gerard Monk, 27, of Wheelton, Lancashire, were found guilty after a two-day trial brought by the RSPCA. | |
| The pair faced a variety of charges including attempting to kill a badger, digging for badgers, interfering with setts and hunting with dogs. | The pair faced a variety of charges including attempting to kill a badger, digging for badgers, interfering with setts and hunting with dogs. |
| An RSPCA spokesman said the pair were digging at the setts near Whitchurch. | An RSPCA spokesman said the pair were digging at the setts near Whitchurch. |
| 'Fighting dogs' | 'Fighting dogs' |
| Ian Briggs said it was difficult to say what the motivation of the pair's actions were but thought it was because it was a bloodsport. | Ian Briggs said it was difficult to say what the motivation of the pair's actions were but thought it was because it was a bloodsport. |
| "It tends to be that they like killing things. | "It tends to be that they like killing things. |
| "They like to see their dogs fighting with the badgers which are regarded as the toughest mammals in the country," he said. | "They like to see their dogs fighting with the badgers which are regarded as the toughest mammals in the country," he said. |
| Billington, of Burton Meadows Farm, Llydir Lane, Rossett, and Monk, of Millbrook Close, will be sentenced in July. |