A man has admitted carrying out a sex act involving a herring gull that caused unnecessary suffering to the bird, an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. CCTV footage played in court showed Ewan Wyse 31 kneeling down in an alleyway at around 1am, with a wild bird between his legs. He is seen pulling his pants off and appearing to masturbate with the bird close to his groin area while watching pornography on his phone before kicking the bird away and walking off.
The court heard that the defendant’s phone was later taken by police and found searches for porn sites. Annalisa Moscardini, defending, said Lee, from Sunderland, had some history of mental health issues. Chair of Magistrates, Kay Gilbert, adjourned the case for sentencing and said: “I have to say that as an experienced Magistrate, this is one of the most unusual cases we have come across in the magistrates’ court.”