Man, 67, sentenced by Dumfries Sheriff Court for killing 15 birds near Springholm to save exotic collection

A man has been sentenced for a series of wildlife crimes after deliberately killing more than a dozen birds.

Barry Nicolle pled guilty to 14 offences including the reckless use of illegal poison which led to the deaths of 15 birds, including five red kites, in Dumfries and Galloway.

The 67-year-old poisoned the animals near Springholm in an attempt to protect his own collection of exotic birds.

He has now been given a Community Payback Order and will carry out 216 hours of unpaid work at Dumfries Sheriff Court for offences committed between 2019 and 2020.

Local officers worked with a number of specialist partners on the case against Nicolle, who was found to have contaminated bait with banned substances.

Barry Nicolle, 67, has today (19 May) been ordered to carry out unpaid work after killing multiple birds of prey with poison. He did this to protect his own collection of exotic birds he kept near Springholm.

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— Police Scotland Dumfries & Galloway (@PSOSDandG) May 19, 2023

Detective inspector Dean Little, the senior investigating officer, said: “Wildlife crime can be complex to investigate and difficult to prove in court.

“In this case local officers on the ground were able to promptly gather evidence and work with a number of partners who utilised specialist forensic methods to build a case against Nicolle.

“Scotland’s wildlife is one of its greatest attractions, which is especially true in our local area.

“Nicolle’s reckless use of illegal poison was not only selfish and damaging to the birds it killed, but also posed a risk to the environment and members of the public who came across them.”

Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations, said: “We welcome today’s conviction of Mr Nicolle for multiple offences linked to the illegal poisoning of red kites and rooks around the village of Springholm.

“The placing of poison baits out in the open is illegal, dangerous and indiscriminate.

“It is exceedingly fortunate that Mr Nicolle’s repeated actions did not result in serious injury to a young child.

“The investigation of this case was an excellent example of partnership working.

“We would particularly like to thank Police Scotland, notably wildlife crime officer PC John Cowan, for their dogged determination to identify the perpetrator of these offences and to see them face justice, and to Procurators Fiscal from the Crown Office’s Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit, for their diligent work in securing a conviction in such a complex case.”

DI Little continued: “I would like to thank the numerous partners who assisted in this case and members of the public who provided information and assisted police enquiries.

“Crimes against nature are not unpunishable and we welcome the sentencing today of Nicolle which shows our continued commitment to investigate wildlife crime and bring perpetrators to court.”