It started as a quiet evening watching two of England's rarest birds of prey wheeling in the air over Dersingham nature reserve in Norfolk. The reserve's warden and two visitors gazed in admiration as the hen harriers circled slowly. Then came the muffled blast of a shotgun and the first bird fell from view. Then another shot, and the second bird plummeted down.
The shots came from Queen Elizabeth II's estate bordering the reserve at Sandringham, and the warden immediately raised the alarm. Norfolk police found themselves investigating the illegal killing of two protected birds of prey by someone on the royal family's land -- offenses which carry a six-month jail sentence or a ?5,000 (US$10,500) fine.
On Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the hen harriers were shot on Oct. 24, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that Prince Harry, third in line to the throne, had been interviewed as an official suspect by police, along with William van Cutsem, 28, a family friend, and David Clarke, 58, a gamekeeper.
Despite an intensive police inquiry, no charges could be brought because "the bodies of the hen harriers have not been found."
As a result, there was no forensic or ballistic evidence to study. And since all three suspects denied any knowledge of the incident, and there was no eyewitness testimony of who had fired the fatal shots, the case was closed. But, added the CPS, no one else was being sought.
A senior CPS lawyer, said: "I am satisfied the police investigation has been thorough and there are no other areas of investigation which can be pursued."
The implication in the agency's statement that the dead birds' bodies were removed infuriated conservationists last night.
A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which counts the Queen as its patron, said: "We're under no doubt that a crime was committed. The fact that no bodies could be found is extremely disappointing. For nobody to be brought to book for the deaths of two hen harriers is also extremely disappointing. We're concerned, but not surprised, that no evidence could be found."
Prince Harry and a member of the van Cutsems, a family with close ties to Prince Charles, had been interviewed as part of the police inquiry. Officials at his father's official residence, Clarence House, confirmed that "because Prince Harry and a friend were both in the area at the time, the police have been in contact with them and asked them if they have any information that could help. Unfortunately, they've no knowledge of the alleged incident."
HOLLYWOOD IN TURMOIL: Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton and Cary Elwes lost properties to the flames, while awards events planned for this week have been delayed Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton, and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events, while at least five people have died. Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week’s Oscar nominations have been delayed, while tens of thousands of city residents had been displaced and were awaiting word on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city’s most famous denizens. More than 1,900 structures had been destroyed and the number was expected to increase. More than 130,000 people
Some things might go without saying, but just in case... Belgium’s food agency issued a public health warning as the festive season wrapped up on Tuesday: Do not eat your Christmas tree. The unusual message came after the city of Ghent, an environmentalist stronghold in the country’s East Flanders region, raised eyebrows by posting tips for recycling the conifers on the dinner table. Pointing with enthusiasm to examples from Scandinavia, the town Web site suggested needles could be stripped, blanched and dried — for use in making flavored butter, for instance. Asked what they thought of the idea, the reply
US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen on Monday met virtually with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) and raised concerns about “malicious cyber activity” carried out by Chinese state-sponsored actors, the US Department of the Treasury said in a statement. The department last month reported that an unspecified number of its computers had been compromised by Chinese hackers in what it called a “major incident” following a breach at contractor BeyondTrust, which provides cybersecurity services. US Congressional aides said no date had been set yet for a requested briefing on the breach, the latest in a serious of cyberattacks
A group of Uyghur men who were detained in Thailand more than one decade ago said that the Thai government is preparing to deport them to China, alarming activists and family members who say the men are at risk of abuse and torture if they are sent back. Forty-three Uyghur men held in Bangkok made a public appeal to halt what they called an imminent threat of deportation. “We could be imprisoned and we might even lose our lives,” the letter said. “We urgently appeal to all international organizations and countries concerned with human rights to intervene immediately to save us from
RSS