Collector guilty of killing UK’s rarest butterfly
A BUTTERFLY collector went to protected sites to capture specimens of Britain’s rarest species, a court has heard.
Phillip Cullen, 57, trapped and killed two large blue butterflies, which are globally endangered, magistrates were told.
Conservationists spotted the former weightlifter climbing over a locked gate into an area where the creatures were reintroduced then saw him chasing one and swiping at one with a net. Later that day he was seen doing a similar thing at another site where they are known to live.
Police raided Cullen’s house where they found two dead large blues among 30 trays of butterflies. He had denied catching them, saying he bought the pair from a dealer in France.
Cullen, of Cadbury Heath, Bristol, yesterday became the first person in the UK to be prosecuted under obscure wildlife laws after being found guilty of six offences related to the two insects at Bristol magistrates court.
He will be sentenced next month.
The court heard he was spotted climbing over a locked gate with a net at Collard Hill, near Street in Somerset, in June 2015. Conservation volunteers watched Cullen chasing a large blue before leaving the site with white plastic bags hours later.
He also allegedly clambered over a gate into Daneway Banks, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on the same day.
Prosecutor Kevin Withey told the court: “It is an offence to capture, kill or possess that butterfly because it is a protected species in the UK. The large blue became extinct in around 1979 and was reintroduced.”
Mr Withey said the two specimens, worth up to £300 each, found at the house were labelled “CH18” and “DB18” – referring to Collard Hill and Daneway Banks – and the date the butterflies were captured, June 18.
He had claimed the labels referred to their cobalt blue and dark blue colours – but an expert told the court he had never heard of labelling specimens in this way.
Chairman of the bench Colin Howells told Cullen: “We are considering a custodial sentence so we will be asking for a pre-sentence report.”