A FALCON DISGRACE

Dad & son crooks dodge jail for illegally selling peregrines

- SARAH VESTY

A CROOKED father and son who illegally sold peregrine falcons that had been snatched from the wild have dodged a prison sentence.

Timothy Hall, 48, and son Lewis, 23, were instead ordered to perform unpaid work and banned from keeping birds of prey for five years.

Wildlife experts have slammed the sentence as "disappointing" after a lengthy surveillance operation of 15 nests in the south of Scotland led to officers swooping on Hall's Berwickshire home in May 2021.

Police had been tipped off about their scheme after the duo allegedly bragged about their ill-gotten gains.

A number of chicks were discovered with tests showing their DNA matched that taken from wild adults across the south of Scotland - despite claims they were "captive bred".

Sales records showed some of the birds were flogged to clients for sums of up to £25,700.

Birds connected to the Halls ended up in Dubai where falcon racing has surged in popularity amongst wealthy Sheikhs.

Both men appeared for sentencing at Jedburgh Sheriff Court yesterday after previously admitting selling the wild birds between 2019 and 2021.