It was over four years ago, in May 2019, that the men were suspected of carrying out protection hunts on two occasions in an unauthorized manner.
The prosecutor said that on one of the occasions they caused extra great suffering to a bear that had been shot. This by having chased the bear with a scooter so that it was incited to jump down a cliff.
Denied serious hunting offence
All four have denied any crime during questioning. One of the men has said that the communication with the county administrative board has been lacking and that there has been a misunderstanding.
– It was strange behavior from the county board all the way, said one of the suspects.
The investigation has had shortcomings
The district court has now rejected the prosecution for two cases of serious hunting crime and the prosecutor’s request for a corporate fine. All have thus been acquitted and the Sami village has not been ordered to pay a corporate fine.
“The district court has found that the investigation relied on has had flaws and that the defendant’s stories about how it happened have not been disproved. Thus, the district court has found that it has not been shown that the hunt subjected the bears to unnecessary suffering or that motor vehicles have been used in an unauthorized manner,” writes the district court.