Couple's house in East Sussex hit by suspected illegal poachers' gunshots

A couple in a Sussex village had their cottage window broken by a hunting rifle gun shot, supposedly fired by a deer poacher operating illegally.
By Frankie Elliott
Published 21st Dec 2021, 12:57 BST
Updated 22nd Dec 2021, 17:18 BST
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Jon Wiltshire was awoken in the middle of the night (November 24) by a loud bang and returned from work the following day to be shown by his wife – Anja – shards of glass on their sitting room floor.

Jon, from Etchingham, said: "I was woken up with a bang on the Wednesday [November 24] and the dogs barking loudly and thought nothing of it.

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"Then, on the Thursday [Novmeber 25] I went to work in London and came home and my wife had found loads of glass in the sitting room. I couldn't work out where it had come from. Then on the Friday [November 26] we found a hole in the window."

After finding the broken window, the couple rang Sussex Police, who arrived on the same day and confirmed a live round of ammo had gone through the glass.After finding the broken window, the couple rang Sussex Police, who arrived on the same day and confirmed a live round of ammo had gone through the glass.
After finding the broken window, the couple rang Sussex Police, who arrived on the same day and confirmed a live round of ammo had gone through the glass.

After finding the broken window, the couple rang Sussex Police, who arrived on the same day and confirmed a live round of ammo had gone through the glass.

Jon Wiltshire continued: "10 minutes after the police officer left, we heard two shots from the same direction that the bullet would have come from. I rang the officer again and he said they were going to send someone out to do a search of the area.

"I also contacted the local estate [Border Oak] of which the cottage is on and there was no one legally shooting on their land that evening or on the Wednesday evening."

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A couple of days later, Jon uncovered a rifle round lying on the far side of the room. If the couple had been sitting in the living room at the time of the shot, they could have quite easily been killed.

A couple of days later, Jon uncovered a rifle round lying on the far side of the room. If the couple had been sitting in the living room at the time of the shot, they could have quite easily been killed.A couple of days later, Jon uncovered a rifle round lying on the far side of the room. If the couple had been sitting in the living room at the time of the shot, they could have quite easily been killed.
A couple of days later, Jon uncovered a rifle round lying on the far side of the room. If the couple had been sitting in the living room at the time of the shot, they could have quite easily been killed.

The spectator reported because the Wiltshire's house is in a dip below a quiet lane, it seems likely poachers in search of deer had entered the field from the lane and fired downhill in the dark.

Jon was told a member of the Sussex Police Rural Crimes Division would be in touch – but he is yet to hear from them, which has left him 'disgruntled'.

Sussex Police said in a statement: "On Friday morning [November 16} we received a report that following a loud bang, a hole had appeared in a window at an address in Etchingham. Nobody had been injured. A spent bullet believed to have been from a rifle was subsequently found in the room.

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"On the Friday evening officers responded to reports of shots being fired in the area and carried out a search but nothing was found. There have been no reports since then.

"Enquiries were made but there are no current lines of enquiry, although the possibility that the shots were connected with poaching nearby has not been discounted.

"Anyone who has any information can contact Sussex Police online on https://www.sussex.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/ ,or by calling 101, quoting serial 293 of 25/11."

READ THE SPECTATOR ARTICLE HERE

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