Brothers fined for Orkney bird reserve shooting

Two men were today sentenced for killing and taking wild birds from the Birsay Moor RSPB Reserve in Orkney.

At Kirkwall Sheriff Court Riccardo Volpi, 25, and Daniel Volpi, 27, were both found guilty and fined a total of £1000 for offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The brothers, who were each fined £500,  live in St Andrews, and are self-employed shooting guides with their family business. They regularly frequent Orkney to act as guides to Italians and other nationalities who visit on shooting holidays.

On November 7 of last year, Orkney RSPB employees saw the two accused with a group of Italian tourists on the Birsay Moor RSPB Reserve, shooting and killing snipe and grouse, and called the police.

Craig Harris, Procurator Fiscal, Wildlife and Environment said: “These individuals deliberately took a group of tourists on to the RSPB Reserve. There was clear signage in the area and they should have been well aware of its status and that they didn’t have permission to shoot there.

“We take people breaking our wildlife laws very seriously. This conviction highlights that message.”

In fining the pair Sheriff Andrew Berry said that he took into account that the brothers had no previous convictions, but said that the legislation was in place for very obvious reasons.