FOLLOWING Penny Little's recent letter Act amendment will stop 'accidental' kills April 8, I feel I owe the readers of the Express & Echo an apology.

I incorrectly assumed that Ms Little's proposed alterations to the Hunting Act would fall in line with the basic principal of English law that it applies equally to everyone.

Her letter corrects that assumption. She makes it clear that ordinary people will still be able to take their dogs out and cause or permit them to harass, chase and kill wildlife.

I was talking to someone the other day with an Irish wolfhound lurcher, which he gleefully told me regularly takes down roe deer. He will be relieved Ms Little does not wish him to be criminalised.

Her proposal has nothing to do with ensuring animal welfare.

The cruelty or otherwise of a dog killing an animal has nothing to do with who controls it. It has everything to do with whipping up hatred against a minority she wishes to see persecuted by the state. This is the tactic of the totalitarian.

It's worth bearing in mind that her organisation POWA has spent the past five years obsessively 'monitoring' these people.

Members continually follow them round with cameras filming their every move. To date POWA has found no proof that the hunts are breaking the law. This is because they are not.

Any dog owner will know that if they take their pet out into the countryside they will occasionally chase animals.

Any car driver knows that driving for business and pleasure will occasionally accidentally kill animals. Indeed, hundreds of thousands die like this every year.

These are facts of life and not worthy of being made criminal offences.

Giles Bradshaw

Rose Ash

(by email)