Malta – 12. 07. 2017
If you assist the police you are not trespassing
CABS activist aquitted of all charges
Malta. Today the law courts in Valletta aquitted CABS Wildlife Crime Officer Fiona Burrows of all charges after a bird trapper accused her of illegally trespassing on his land last December. The court heard that Burrows, a known ornithologist and expert in the handling of live birds, was indeed on the site in question but aquitted her after officers of the Naxxar police confirmed that they have specifically requested Ms. Burrows help in a case of illegal trapping of plovers on that particular site on that day. It turned out that the trapper, whose case is still pending, knew that she was assisting the police but nevertheless tried to intimidate her by filing the charges.
CABS said that it had expected the case to be dropped adding that this was just one of many examples of how the FKNK and their members are systematically wasting police and court resources by filing false reports to defame and muzzle birdwatchers who have witnessed hunting crimes. It added that FKNK also has reported CABS activists of illegally handling protected birds and for the alledged illegal intercepting of trappers´ mobile phones. "All of these acusations were dismissed by the courts as nonsense", CABS Press Officer Axel Hirschfeld said adding that in the last years more than 40 FKNK members were found guilty of illegal trapping after they have been filmed by CABS.
Contact for photographic and video material and other information
CABS Press Officer Axel Hirschfeld, fon +0049 179 480 3805 or Email to CABS@komitee.de