Nickolas Chenier was hare coursing with his golden Lurcher last year, when the dog ran off in pursuit of a deer.
Two witnesses watched the events unfold, from a carpark at Olrig Cemetery, Wick.
Shocking injuries
Heartbreakingly, the deer had suffered a broken leg, leaving it struggling to escape.
The dog bit the animal, taking it down to the ground. Horrified onlookers intervened, questioning the owner as to his plan of action.
"I'll deal with it", he told them. "I have a knife in the van".
The witnesses left the scene, but turned back to see him placing the deer's body into his van.
Justice under new legislation
The incident was reported, which lead the authorities to the 56-year-old's house.
There they found a golden Lurcher who matched the description, along with the carcass of an injured deer.
DNA swabs matched bone fragments found in the cemetery, tying all the evidence together.
Under the Hunting with Dogs Act (Scotland), which came into force in 2023, Chenier admitted to an offence. He was fined £750 and banned from owning a dog for the next five years.
