THREE men were caught poaching with a powerful air rifle on a Hampshire estate, Southampton Crown Court heard.

Gamekeepers surrounded the trio on the Sowley Estate in Lymington and found two dead pheasants in their car.

But after they removed the car keys, punches were thrown and one keeper received a cut lip and two black eyes.

Two colleagues also suffered bruising before they snatched the keys back and drove off, prosecutor Ed Elton told Southampton Crown Court.

Aaron Barnes, 31, of Leigh Road, Eastleigh, Craig Daniels, 21, of Benbow Gardens, Calmore, and Michael Shanley, also 21, of Beechdale Close, Calmore, admitted affray.

Daniels and Barnes, who also admitted possessing the weapon without a firearms certificate, received ten-month suspended sentences, were told to complete 150 hours unpaid work and must pay £1,600 compensation between them.

Shanley had sentence adjourned until next month.