Queen star leads calls for club to ban golfer who killed a fox

Published on 18/07/2011 15:01

ROCK legend Brian May has pledged his support to the campaign against the decision of a Scottish golf club to reinstate a player found guilty of battering a fox to death.

The Queen guitarist, a veteran campaigner for animals rights and a fox hunting ban, spoke out after animal rights activists from across Britain gathered outside Peterculter Golf Club on the outskirts of Aberdeen at the weekend, calling for a life-time ban to be imposed on local golfer Donald Forbes.

Forbes was fined 750 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in May after he was convicted of battering a tame fox with a golf club at the course after it stole his chocolate biscuit. He had lashed out at the animal, striking it on the head, after he spotted it rummaging through his golf bag. The fox was so badly injured it had to be killed by another golfer. Forbes was suspended by the club but later reinstated.

May said: "It's evident that the vast majority of the British public are disgusted by cruelty to animals, as shown by the public outcry against this particularly senseless piece of brutality.

"The members of this Aberdeen club have the opportunity to show their disapproval in an appropriate way - by banning this unsavoury character for life. But they seem to be unready."

The protest was organised by a group known as Fox Watch. Organiser Paul McDonald, 27, said: "By reinstating the golfer, it seems as though the club is saying 'it's OK'. "We are asking people to boycott the club or to contact them to complain."

Harvey Aberdein, the club's lawyer, said: "Peterculter Golf Club, after considering all the relevant factors of this unfortunate case, agreed to lift Mr Forbes's suspension after a period of nine months.

"The committee took account of his previous unblemished record over many years of membership. This decision in no way condones Mr Forbes's actions."