Pesky wabbits win as shooter Simon gets stuck a third time
Wednesday 19th October 2011, 2:29PM BST.
Truck owner Simon Gregory, 47, and PC Andy Bell survey the result of Monday night’s rabbiting expedition near Grantez Mill. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 1189415)
IT WAS third time unlucky for landscape gardener Simon Gregory after an error of judgement left his truck overhanging a Castel lane.
Mr Gregory, 47, said he was rabbiting at the Le Grantez Mill site on Monday night when his truck got stuck in the field.
He said that because the field was on a slope, it was difficult for him to drive his truck back up towards the exit.
‘I reversed down to get a run-up but I couldn’t see because it was dark, so I didn’t know there was no hedge,’ Mr Gregory said. ‘I panicked when I felt the vehicle get stuck.
‘I would have called the police at the time but because of the dark I didn’t know it had gone over the bank and was hanging over the road.’
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Are the parking problems on the island really that bad now? ;-)
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I read the GP article on this, which included his previous ‘incidents’.
What I would like to know is why, if Mr. Gregory taken rabbits on L’Ancresse Common after dark, was he not prosecuted?
The Law states a person ‘commits an offence if he fires a shotgun or air weapon in or across any land to which the public have access during the period commencing half an hour after sunset and ending half an hour before sunrise.’
It’s people like this who give shooters a bad name.
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Accidents happen but how did he not know his vehicle was overhanging the road!?
I can only think of one situation where a driver would not know that his vehicle was overhanging the road like that. The same sitaution where you would not want the police to arrive on the scene and start asking questions. Especially when you drive for a living.
But perhaps I’m being too harsh and it was all a dastardly plan dreamt up by bugs bunny and friends to make the hunter look silly.
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I thought everyone knew that if you go rabbiting at night you should always drive a hutchback
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The rabbits are obviously more intelligent than the driver!!!!
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That picture requires a ‘fail’ caption.
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This has to be the best, feel good story the GEP has written about in ages! Sorry for the chap but either a) he should have gone to SpecSavers or b) just got his mum to drive him around – would have been a lot safer….
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Rabbiting, my horse, this numpty obviously likes driving (badly) cross country at night, do us all a favour and confetti his licence!
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I don’t understand why he was driving in the first place. Much easier to sneak up on on those pesky wabbits by foot, just ask Elmer Fudd.
“Be vewy vewy quiet, I’m hunting wabbits”
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@ ElmerFudd
Agree completely. Speaking as a shooter myself, incidents like this (and Mr Gregory’s other little ‘hiccups’) do nothing good for the public image of our sport.
The article suggests that he was rabbiting in the dark, although my understanding of the law is that it is illegal to shoot anywhere (including on private land) from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise. Surely an armed man sulking about in a field after dark is something our new-and-improved, rapid response police service would be all over?
In any event, if Mr Gregory takes as much care with his shooting as he does with his driving then perhaps he should warn us before he goes out so we can all take cover?!
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If a cyclist or a motorcyclist encountered this overhanging truck in the dark they could have suffered a serious injury.
This guy is obviously pretty pathetic, and his attention seeking behaviour is only being fuelled by repeated press coverage. Why not just take him off the roads for a few years, then imprison him if he flouts the ban? That might persuade him to stop putting other peoples’ safety at risk with his childish antics.
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He commented that he left his Hazard Lights on?! Why would you do that when you are under the impression that you are just stuck in a field???? Also the vehicle is rear wheel drive so surely the sudden high revving engine and complete lack of drive may make you think differently to just being stuck! I cant bare to imagine the injuries if a motorcyclist came around the corner it would be possible decapitation. Also I think if your eyesight is that bad having a firearm is possibly not the best option.
Things don’t add up!
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I reckon Jay has it spot on.
And if this fool was wandering around brandishing a shotgun in a [probable, to say the least] drunken state then he should have two licences revoked – driving and firearms.
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or maybe just leave the rabbits and wildlife alone! my 6yr old has spent the last two weekends in tears as all we can hear is shooting in the fields nearby!
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What a laugh you couldn’t make this kind of story up , as other comments say take away both his driving and gun licence and perhaps we might sleep easier in our beds in the knowledge that this particular ” sharper shooter” no longer has a shot in the dark. Perhaps he was hoping to get a lucky rabbits foot to help his driving ?
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Lets hope his next hunting expedition is near the Reservoir so he can well and truly dip his headlights.
How this joker can own a firearms license if he can not control a motor vehicle is beyond me.
Take both away from him before he does himself or someone else a serious mischief.
Rabbits 3 Landscape Gardner’s 0
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Well he certainly woke up hung over!
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from what i have read in the gp there has been no mention of a gun being used,could it be his weapon was his truck,as for his coment it was dark and i could not see has his truck not got front and rear lights so he could of checked the trucks position.lets get real and sort this out before he hurts someone.
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He is clearly sticking out like a sore thumb to the conditioned. I can’t believe he has the audacity to veer away from conventionalism and conformity on such an epic scale….Ha ha ha!
Come on disciples of Big Brother! Give this guy a break, he’s clearly old school! It’s people like this that represent the roots of Guernsey heritage (albeit a very simple and somewhat…comical foundation of our modern culture).
I say keep up the good work old boy, he made me laugh. As much as someone could have been hurt…they didn’t! and anybody who can’t see a truck over hanging a country lane would have been going to fast themselves…and you would all undoubtedly give him or her a good online ‘bashing’ for going over the speed limit and ending his or her lives.
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He does not need a licence for a .22 air rifle. He was either lamping the bunnies then bowling them over with the truck or blinding and stomping them.
He does not need a licence for that. People just don’t understand. They create huge problems. Most farmers welcome people like myself to keep them under control. The owners of the land I have permission to hunt on are always keep to learn of the figures when we meet up for a night. They have to be kept under control or the farming would stop. I will happily stomp a dozen or more on my bike each time I go out. It really is good fun. Much kinder than them suffering from myxomatosis for many awful months.
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To date, what’s the ratio of rabbits to trucks?
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@Quad Bike Rider
No one is denying that rabbits are not a pest to farmers, that’s why most of us that hunt live quarry get to shoot; assisting landowners with the control of pest species and vermin. Be they infected with Myxomotosis, or otherwise. However, the vast majority of us respect our quarry and have the good grace to go about it in the most humane way possible: a clean shot to the head.
The idea of chasing the things around fields then ‘stomping’ them with a motor vehicle is utterly repulsive. You sicken and disgust me.
People are calling on here for the revocation of Mr. Gregory’s licenses? He seems to only be stupid. You appear to be both sadistic and stupid, and to enjoy this barbaric method of rabbitting. Perhaps it should be you who loses the privelige of a licence.
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i cant believe what i am reading here , you really mean to tell me that there are people of such low intelligence in guernsey that resort to doing things like that to a living , breathing animal quad bike rider, my god , as if shooting them wasnt bad enough , im just sat here shaking my head in total dis-belief , nah ive just re-read it there really are people over here with absolutely no brain cells what so ever!
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Quad Bike Rider. Gosh, you must get sooo excited when any article mentions rabbit hunting, I remember your comments on the last one.
What an utterly sad and pathetic individual you truly are, thinking that shocking people and upsetting people with your exaggerated, made up antics actually impresses anyone.
I don’t believe you, or value anything you say – and neither does anyone else, judging by the lack of response to your ridiculous and graphic claims of enjoying animal abuse – which is, for the record, a recognised pre cursor to psychopathic tendencies in CHILDREN (as you evidentially are).
Now, why don’t you clear off back to FB, little man, where, perhaps, you can impress some fellow ten year olds with your inanities…
quick, before mummy turns up with your ADHD meds an’ catches you on her computer..!!
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Simple Simon heard a rabbit
Laughing in the rough.
“What’s so funny?” Simon called.
“You’ve left your handbrake off!”
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@ Quad Bike Rider
And with comments like “I will happily stomp a dozen or more on my bike each time I go out”, you do even less good for our sport than Mr Gregory. While I fully accept the need to control the rabbit population, to go about it the way you suggest is brutal and something any good pest controller should distance themselves from. There are other ways to put down a myxy-inflicted rabbit without the risk of them suffering even more from crush wounds. As any professional shooter will tell you, every kill needs to be clean, precise and above all quick. Can you say for certain that’s what will happen when you run them over with a quad bike or a truck?
However Mr Gregory was doing it, the shooting community doesn’t need people like him (or you) representing us to the public. I recommend that you keep your childish, and frankly disgusting, methods and comments to yourself.
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I think it is about time this man’s licence was removed .
And his gun license as well as he seems to have no respect for the law and acts like a child .He is clearly not grown up enough top have either.
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Thought lamping was illegal. Didn’t realise there were any pikies in guernsey.
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Why doesn’t the Farmer use a scarecrow, like what the others do.
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I don`t think a scarecrow would be overly effective at scaring off the trucks ;-)
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There are lots of comments about taking Mr Haines’ shot gun licence. Have you ever thought he may be shooting bunnies with an air gun??
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@Musket Ball
Mr. Haines?
Be it shotgun license or driving license, most of us aren’t particularly happy with Mr. GREGORY retaining either. Or Quad Bike Moron, for that matter.
And what difference does it make if he’s using an air gun? It’s still a firearm under the Law, and as he is quite clearly an irresponsible man, he is still a potential danger to himself and to other people.
At least the rabbits are potentially safe from him, provided he shoots as poorly as he drives.
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musket ball
simon has already admited to shooting on lancress common with a air rifle which is total alligal
under the gsy firarms 1998 law . no hunting with a air rifle is aloud to take place on any public land . hunting with a air rifle may take place on private land with the owners consent .
also to be alound to shoot on public land you must be granted a public hunting licence granted by the police which simon does not hold
if intrested please also look at section 2 A of the guernsey firarms law which governs all shooters
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Better luck next time Simon, I konw you can do better. If you get stuck give me a shout i would love to pull you out rabbit hole as i have double trouble experiecne in this. It may help if you give the rabbits the gun next time!!
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I was that person and i think it was great fun!! You have not lived untill you have shot a few bunny’s. All three car accidents are just a run of bad but fun bad luck. Rock on tommy!! Bring on the rabbit’s!!
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grow up simon
what you are doing is againt the law and giving us shooters who obay the law a bad image in a ever increasing difficalt condition regarding the public
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