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| Man fined for shooting swan 'thinking it was goose' | Man fined for shooting swan 'thinking it was goose' |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A man who shot a swan thinking it was goose is believed to be the first person in England prosecuted for using illegal lead shot on wildfowl. | A man who shot a swan thinking it was goose is believed to be the first person in England prosecuted for using illegal lead shot on wildfowl. |
| Electrician Simon Quince, 36, from Harthills, Barnsley, was fined £445 for shooting the swan and £100 for using the wrong shot. | Electrician Simon Quince, 36, from Harthills, Barnsley, was fined £445 for shooting the swan and £100 for using the wrong shot. |
| He appeared at Harrogate Magistrates' Court and admitted killing the swan near Knaresborough last December. | He appeared at Harrogate Magistrates' Court and admitted killing the swan near Knaresborough last December. |
| An investigation found he had been using illegal shotgun cartridges. | An investigation found he had been using illegal shotgun cartridges. |
| North Yorkshire Police and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds found Quince been using gun cartridges that contained lead shot. | North Yorkshire Police and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds found Quince been using gun cartridges that contained lead shot. |
| Quince was on a shoot on a freezing cold, but clear day last winter. | |
| He noticed four birds flying over and thinking they were geese, he opened fire. | |
| One of the birds came crashing down badly injured and Quince realised he had shot a swan which are protected by law. | |
| The bird was later put down by a local vet. | |
| It has been against the law to use lead shot on wildfowl shoots in England since 1999. | It has been against the law to use lead shot on wildfowl shoots in England since 1999. |
| Lead is banned because it can easily find its way into the food chain of foraging birds on wetlands. | Lead is banned because it can easily find its way into the food chain of foraging birds on wetlands. |