A father and two sons have now been legally convicted after killing a protected bird family in Pram. The Linz Higher Regional Court confirmed fines of 8,000 euros and two times of 1,200 euros each. The men had deliberately fired shotguns at the nest in the tree.
A protected long-eared owl and its four chicks were brutally shot from a nest in Pram on April 23. A witness (36) saw three men position themselves in a meadow around a large pear tree and shoot at least fifteen times into the tree top with shotguns. Photos of this also exist.
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When the trio noticed the 36-year-old, they reportedly fled the scene. However: The witness recognized two: a 67-year-old local man and his son (36). The third shooter also turned out to be Filius (31) of the pensioner. All three are hunters; the 31-year-old even worked as a hunting protection officer.
Weapon ban
The eyewitness – he found the torn raptor carcasses and bullet casings near the tree – filed a criminal complaint. The trio, who denied the crime, were charged by the Welsh Public Prosecution Service with deliberately killing a vertebrate animal. The men also had to hand in their hunting rifles – including a semi-automatic rifle – and a weapons ban was also imposed.
Appealed
At the end of June, the hunters initially appeared before the judge in Wels, who declared all three guilty. His conclusion: the trio shot the owls “simply out of a desire to kill.” The verdict is not yet legally binding: a fine of 1,200 euros each for the father and the unemployed youngest son (31), 8,000 euros for the eldest son (36). All three appealed the conviction and the public prosecutor demanded an even higher sentence.
New objections from the defense
On Thursday the hunter family sat before the appeals committee of the Oberlandesgericht Linz. Lawyer Harald Korp argued that there was circumstantial evidence, but no usable evidence that would clearly point to the suspects as the shooters. The people depicted in the photos are not recognizable. And because of their state of decomposition, the seized carcasses could not have been the carcasses shot that day.
The judgment is final
However, the appeal panel disagreed with these objections and upheld all the decisions of the first court – these are now legally binding! The hunters must also bear the costs of the procedure.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
