‘BARBARIC’ barely describes the actions of Peter Walker and his three accomplices who decided it was entertainment to travel from Bradford to the North Yorkshire countryside to hunt out badger setts and repeatedly set dogs on the defenceless animals.

Once the badgers were flushed they were either killed by the dogs or by the gang members using kicks, stamps and even a spade.

And, to add to their thrills, Walker filmed the whole sorry episode on a mobile phone in which the accompanying laughing and celebrating in the background demonstrated the men revelling in the suffering they imposed.

It was that filming which ultimately proved the gang’s undoing as its posting on social media by one its members led the RSPCA and the police to their doors.

Yesterday, Walker, who did the filming and used that as an excuse to unsuccessfully try to deny this involvement in the cruelty charges against him, was jailed for six months by the city’s magistrates.

He was the final one of the quartet to feel the court’s wrath.

West Yorkshire, and Bradford to an even greater degree, has an historically bad record of animal cruelty.

To that end, only this week West Yorkshire Police announced it was teaming up with the Country Land and Business Association to start a campaign against hare coursing which was banned more than a decade ago.

It is utterly shameful that these type of practices still exist in 21st century Britain.