B.C. hunting guide fined $30K for leading client outside designated area

An assistant hunting guide in B.C.’s central Interior has been ordered to pay more than $30,000 for taking a client outside of his designated area on a hunt.

Franck Besseat pleaded guilty to “guiding a hunter in an area not authorized by the guide outfitters licence of his employer,” the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said in a statement on social media Tuesday.

Besseat was sentenced last week, the BCCOS said, adding that the offence occurred in the McBride area in September 2022.

“The BCCOS investigation began following a complaint to the (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line,” the post reads. “Subsequent investigation by the BCCOS Specialized Enforcement Section led to several charges being sworn.”

Online court records indicate Besseat was charged alongside another person, Christine Hannelore Franke.

In addition to the charge he pleaded guilty to, Besseat was charged with two counts of providing a false statement in written form and an additional count of guiding outside his permitted area. Franke was charged with one count of providing a false statement in written form and one count of guiding outside a licence area.

Both charges against Franke and all of the charges against Besseat—except the one to which he pleaded guilty—were stayed by the Crown.

Besseat’s sentence included a $29,000 payment to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, a $1,000 fine and a $150 victim fine surcharge, according to the BCCOS. He also received a 12-month probation order, which includes a condition prohibiting him from applying to the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. during that time.

The BCCOS concluded its statement with a reminder that anyone who witnesses what they believe is illegal activity related to hunting, fishing or polluting should call the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277.

Those who provide information that leads to a conviction may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000 through the B.C. Wildlife Federation, the BCCOS said.