Hunter's disdain for the law earns no sympathy from Court of Appeal

The Court of Criminal Appeal has thrown out an objection to the punishment given to a hunter who was caught hunting at sea

The accused had his hunting licence revoked for a year and was fined €2,500 in 2014 after he was found guilty of hunting at sea (File photo)
The accused had his hunting licence revoked for a year and was fined €2,500 in 2014 after he was found guilty of hunting at sea (File photo)

The Court of Criminal Appeal has thrown out an objection to the punishment given to a hunter who was caught hunting at sea, four years ago, describing the man as having no respect for the law.

Wayne Pisani, 29, had his hunting licence revoked for a year and was fined €2,500 in 2014 after he was found guilty of hunting at sea inside the Grand Harbour, as well as a number of breaches of the Arms Act. His hunting gear was also confiscated.

Pisani had filed an appeal to the sentence, arguing that his punishment was disproportionately harsh and that in similar cases, the courts would normally only impose a fine and not order the confiscation of equipment.

But in a decision handed down yesterday, judge Giovanni Grixti observed that it was not normal practice for the Court of Criminal Appeal to disturb the discretion of the court of first instance vis-a-vis punishment, especially when the punishment was within the parameters established by law.

For this reason, he also disagreed with the argument that the accused had been sufficiently punished by the large fine.

The court noted that Pisani already had several previous convictions for offences relating to birds and had not demonstrated any intention to change his ways.

“All the court has before it is a list of crimes against the laws regulating the conservation of birds, relapsing and a criminal record that shows that he has no respect for these laws.”

The appeal was not upheld, with the judge ordering that the man's one-year hunting licence disqualification be taken as starting from the date of the appeal judgement.