A Conservative MP must appear in court after he was charged with letting his Jack Russell puppy chase deer in Richmond Park.
Danny Kruger – the MP for Devizes in Wiltshire and son of Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith – is accused of allowing pooch Pebble to “chase, worry or injure” a large herd of Fallow deer on 20 March.
He was set to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Monday – but the case has now been adjourned until 24 May. If found guilty, Kruger could face a £200 fine.
Richmond Park has strict rules for dog owners walking with their pets, and is home to more than 600 deer. Owners are asked to keep their dogs on leads during rutting and birthing seasons, as the deer can become aggressive.
Kruger, who was elected as the MP for Devizes in 2019, was previously David Cameron’s chief speechwriter – and became political secretary to Boris Johnson in August 2019.
The Eton-educated MP was awarded an MBE for his work with charity OnlyConnect, a youth crime prevention group he founded.
Last year Kruger was forced to apologise after being spotted without a face mask on an hourlong journey to London on public transport.
He claimed he “forgot” to don a face covering, after a picture emerged on social media of him travelling on a train without one.
An eagle-eyed Twitter user posted a picture last September of Kruger sitting at a train table wearing earphones, with the caption: “Don’t blame it on the young people Boris (Johnson) when your own party aren’t even following your rules.”
In a statement at the time, Kruger said: “I boarded an almost empty carriage at Hungerford and quite simply forgot to put on my mask.
“When I got to Paddington I realised my mistake and covered up for the rest of my journey.
“If the person had reminded me rather than taking a photo and posting it on social media I would of course have put on my mask then and there. I do apologise for my mistake.”
Great Western Railway, the train operator that runs the route between Hungerford and Paddington, warns passengers on its website that they face a £100 fine for failing to wear a face covering on its services.
