Prominent lawyer clubs fox to death with baseball bat while wearing kimono

RSPCA calls for people to report ‘distressing incident’ after Jolyon Maugham tweets about the attack

A prominent barrister has sparked a backlash after revealing that he killed a fox with a baseball bat in his London garden.

Jolyon Maugham QC, who is known for fighting a series of legal cases concerning Brexit, wrote on Twitter that the animal had become trapped in protective netting around his chicken coop.

“Already this morning I have killed a fox with a baseball bat. How’s your Boxing Day going?” he wrote, adding that he was wearing a “a too small green kimono” at the time.

As followers started asking why he could not have released it or called a rescue charity, he said he “wasn’t sure what else to do”.

Asked whether the fox suffered, Mr Maugham said he “despatched him efficiently” and argued that killing animals “does come with the territory if you’re a meat eater”.

The barrister wrote: “I didn’t especially enjoy killing it but I imagine that’s what the RSPCA would have done, if they had anyone on call in central London on Boxing Day.”

But the RSPCA, which brings prosecutions for alleged animal cruelty, said its workers were in fact on call 24 hours a day.

As Twitter users flagged the incident, the charity’s official account replied: “This is distressing to hear. We’d urge anyone with firsthand knowledge to report it to us by calling 0300 1234 999.”

Mr Maugham, who was receiving abuse over the incident online, said he had contacted the RSPCA and left his contact details.

“Many or most councils in London treat foxes as an urban pest and at least one recommends clubbing them,” he added.

“No one should relish killing animals – and I certainly didn’t. But if you haven’t been up close to a large trapped fox, perhaps reserve judgement.”

Labour MP Neil Coyle said the London Borough of Southwark guidance stated that clubbing is the only legally permissible means of killing a fox.

“I’ve raised foxes with the council several times on behalf of constituents and this is their position,” he wrote on Twitter.

The incident sparked debate over legal ways to kill foxes, after hunting was partially banned in 2004.