A man was ordered to pay almost £6,000 after he was found guilty of hunting a fox with dogs in breach of the hunting ban.

Paul McMullan, 36, was sentenced at Chester Magistrates Court after he was convicted of using a dog on January 11 last year. Two other men and a youth were sentenced for their part in the incident at hearings last year.

The case was the first prosecution brought by the RSPCA under the controversial Hunting Act 2004.

McMullan, of Musker Drive, Bootle, Merseyside was fined £750, ordered to pay £5,000 costs and to forfeit his terrier and lurcher dogs into RSPCA care.

The court heard how the three men and the juvenile travelled to the field near with five terrier-type dogs and one lurcher, three shovels and a number of locator collars.

Once at a badgers sett the group put two dogs into the sett to flush out a fox which they allowed their dogs to kill when it emerged.

A member of the public contacted Cheshire police later that day after seeing the four close to the sett.

Officers arrested McMullen, along with the other men; Mark Kenneth Walsh, 18, Paul Kelly, 21, and the juvenile, who cannot be named.

RSPCA's Ian Briggs said: "We are delighted with the outcome of this case.

"The ability to make animals suffer for sport is barbaric and we are glad to see the court has given a very clear and authoritative judgment on this.