FURY AT LAWYER WHO BEAT FOX TO DEATH

Barrister admits baseball bat killing in his garden – and sparks RSPCA probe

A prominent barrister sparked fury yesterday by clubbing a fox to death with a baseball bat.

Jolyon Maugham said the creature was trapped in netting protecting the chickens in his central London garden.

Dressed in his wife’s satin kimono, he set upon the fox and killed it because he ‘didn’t know what else to do’. His actions were immediately condemned as barbaric by animal rights advocates.

The 48-year-old QC, who launched legal challenges with Gina Miller against Brexit, tried to justify the incident by saying the RSPCA would have done the same.

However, a spokesman for the animal charity said its officers were ‘looking into’ the incident. After visiting the lawyer they removed the remains of the fox.

Under the Animal Welfare Act, causing unnecessary suffering to an animal can lead to a prison sentence or fine of up to £20,000.

After tweeting about the incident yesterday, Mr Maugham was inundated with criticism on social media. ‘Managing wildlife doesn’t necessitate cruelly killing it,’ said

TV naturalist Chris Packham. As the backlash grew, Mr Maugham apologised to those upset by his comments and insisted his chickens were ‘very distressed’.

The furore began when he tweeted: ‘Already this morning I have killed a fox with a baseball bat. How’s your Boxing Day going?’

He added: ‘No one should relish killing animals – and I certainly didn’t. But if you haven’t been up close to a large trapped fox, perhaps reserve judgment.’

Mr Maugham said he had reported himself to the RSPCA following the outcry, adding: ‘To be quite honest, although I don’t enjoy killing things, it does come with the territory if you’re a meat eater.’

He said it ‘wasn’t a great deal of fun’ when the fox ‘got caught up in the protective netting around the chickens’.

He added: ‘I wasn’t sure what else to do. Not looking forward to untangling it.’

An RSPCA spokesman said it was ‘very distressing to hear’ of the incident and urged anyone with first-hand knowledge to file a report.

Isobel Hutchinson, director of the Animal Aid charity, said: ‘It is absolutely shocking that this wild animal was condemned to such a brutal death.

‘It is deeply saddening that anyone should react in this way when coming face to face with a wild animal.

‘While encountering wild animals is a great privilege, we do of course appreciate that there can be conflict between them and people. However, there is no need to resort to the brutality of killing them, as there are many methods of deterring wild animals humanely. We would urge anyone who is experiencing problems with foxes to contact one of the excellent humane deterrence services.’

Mr Maugham, who lives with his wife Claire and three children, later apologised for his initial tweet: ‘Sorry to those upset. My chickens were very distressed by the fox – both before and after I’d despatched it – and I wanted it out of the way quickly.

‘I was slightly shocked by the whole tooth-and-claw experience when I tweeted and that was what I was trying to convey.

‘But my tweet, one of a number about keeping chickens in urban London, should have conveyed that better.’

One of the 7,000 Twitter users to respond to his first message, said: ‘He was just hungry and following instincts. At least be a proper farmer and get a gun, let’s hope your own end won’t be as painful as poor foxie.’

Reporting the incident to the RSPCA, Dominic Dyer added: ‘To brag about killing a fox with a baseball bat is beyond belief. Expect the RSPCA will be knocking on your door, protecting chickens is no excuse for barbarity.’

Mr Maugham said last night: ‘Having seen the reaction the tweet has provoked I wish I had said nothing. I explained to the