A BORDERS gamekeeper who illegally killed protected species has been given a 225-hour community payback order.

Alan Wilson, of Duns, admitted nine charges including killing goshawks, buzzards, badgers and an otter on the Longformacus Estate between March 2016 and June 2017.

The 61-year-old also pleaded guilty to setting 23 illegal snares on the estate and possessing illegal pesticides.

And on Monday Wilson was sentenced to a 225-hour community payback order which must be carried out within 18 months and a 9pm – 6am restriction of liberty order to last 10 months.

Commenting on the case, an undercover Scottish SPCA investigator said: “This is a despicable case of serious and systematic crimes to indiscriminately remove wildlife from an estate.

"The sheer volume of dead wildlife discovered and the variety of methods used, which include shooting, trapping and snaring, is truly shocking.

“A tremendous amount of credit must go to Police Scotland and Detective Constable Wildlife Crime Officer Andrew Loughlin, who co-ordinated this complex case and utilised the expertise of the Scottish SPCA and other partners.

“The successful prosecution of Mr Wilson sees some form of justice served, and the Scottish SPCA’s special investigations unit were happy to lend our expertise on wildlife crime to support this multi-agency effort. This level of co-operation is vital to catching people who are committing these specialist, brutal crimes."

Detective Constable Andy Loughlin who led the police inquiries added: "This has been a complex inquiry that has amounted to a large-scale police investigation spanning the past couple of years.

"We have worked with experts in the field to secure Wilson’s conviction and I would like to thank our colleagues from the Scottish SPCA, RSPB Scotland, veterinary pathologists at the Scottish Agricultural College, government specialists at SASA, and independent experts, for all their assistance."