EditorPONTARDDULAIS: Man handed suspended sentence in first conviction in Wales for illegal animal snares
A Pontarddulais man has become the first person in Wales to be convicted for illegally setting animal snares following the introduction of a total ban on their use, a court has heard.
Jarrod Hill, 59, of Pontarddulais, Swansea, was given a 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months after pleading guilty at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court to setting snares to trap wild mammals. Hill had claimed foxes were killing his ducks at White Springs Fishery in Carmarthenshire.
The snares were discovered on Friday 10 October 2025 by officers from Dyfed-Powys Police‘s Rural Crime Team and Natural Resources Wales staff who were carrying out routine fishery compliance checks at the site.
Hill had previously been warned about the use of snares in 2022 — at a time when their use was still permitted in certain circumstances. Despite the law changing in October 2023 to introduce a total ban, he continued to set them.
The use of snares was outlawed in Wales under the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023, which came into force on 17 October 2023, making Wales the first part of the UK to introduce a complete ban on both snares and glue traps.
Sergeant Paul Roberts of the Dyfed-Powys Police Rural Crime Team said the case marked an important milestone. “Working closely with our partner agency, Natural Resources Wales, we welcome this outcome. Snares are a significant threat to wildlife, causing severe injuries and deaths,” he said.
“I’m proud to have secured the first conviction of its kind in Wales. This case underscores our shared commitment to protecting wildlife and ensuring that those who breach these laws are held accountable.”
Snares are wire traps designed to capture animals by tightening around the body, often causing prolonged suffering. They can trap animals indiscriminately, with studies showing a significant proportion of non-target species — including domestic pets — are caught.
The conviction sends a clear message that Wales’s landmark ban on snares will be enforced.
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