A gamekeeper who beat a protected bird of prey to death has been sentenced after hidden camera footage showed him striking the goshawk with a cosh six times after it entered a crow trap near Blairgowrie.
Russell Mason, 49, who worked on the estate, was sentenced at Perth Sheriff Court on Friday after pleading guilty to catching and killing the rare raptor in 2024.
He also admitted a charge of illegally storing ammunition at his home outwith the terms of his firearms licence.
Mason was handed a 200-hour community payback order for killing the goshawk and fined £890 for firearm offences.
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