Woman who took seagull for walk on lead handed one year ban on keeping wild animals

Homeless woman found injured bird in Scarborough and brought it to York on a bus

Anna Marie Marshall was found with the injured heron gull in Parliament Street, York (file image) (Getty)

A woman has been banned from keeping wild animals for a year after she walked a seagull through the streets of York on a lead.

Anna Marie Marshall, 44, was found with the injured heron gull in Parliament Street on 28 June.

Marshall appeared at York Magistrates' Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to taking a wild bird, injuring a wild bird, threatening and abusive behaviour and also refusing to surrender at the court on Friday, when the case was originally scheduled, the BBC reports.

She is understood to be homeless for 10 years and is said to suffer from mental health problems.

According to local media, the court heard the seagull had an injured wing when Marshall found it in Scarborough and brought it to York on a bus.

The bird was injured further when she fell on the bird as police attempted to arrest her.

It had to be put down due to its injuries.

Marshall has been sentenced to a 12 month community order and has been prevented from looking after any animals for a year.

District Judge Adrian Lower told her: “You took in an animal for care but had no ability to do that at all given your chaotic lifestyle.

“I can only hope you have learned from this experience and the next time you come across a sick or injured animal, however much you care for it, you will take the animal to someone better placed to care for it than you can.”