Man smashed seagull against a wall after it tried to steal a chip, court hears

John Llewellyn-Jones ordered to serve 12-week curfew after killing bird

A man who killed a seagull after it tried to steal a chip has been banned from leaving his house at night.

John Llewellyn-Jones, from Cardiff, caught the black-backed gull by the leg and "smashed" it against a wall after it knocked the chips out of his hand during a day trip to Weston-super-Mare last summer.

The 45-year-old denied breaching the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, but was found guilty at North Somerset Magistrates' Court on Tuesday after the accounts of two witnesses were deemed "credible and compelling".

He was ordered to serve a 12-week curfew between 8pm and 8am and pay costs totalling £835.

RSPCA inspector Simon Evans said: “This was an unthinkable and despicable way to treat an animal – with this gull smashed against a wall by the man, solely because it knocked chips from his hand.

“This was deliberate cruelty, borne from the fact this man cared more for his chips than what his actions did to the poor gull. Simply, the man showed blatant disregard for an animal because he was annoyed about his chips.

Seagull killed after being 'smashed' against wall in Weston-Super-Mare (RSPCA)

“Witnesses saw the attack - and shocked by-standers, including children, had to look on as the man killed the gull.”