David Lee, 40, of Sunderland, has pleaded guilty to causing needless pain to a wild bird in an unusual attack that stunned the court.
Lee appeared in South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court and was charged with performing a sexual act on a herring gull that caused the bird undue suffering, which is a violation of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Lee was seen in court engaging in a sexual act with a herring gull in an alleyway near Gladstone Street in Sunderland, while watching pornography on his phone, before kicking the bird away and walking away. Lee’s sentencing hearing is scheduled on May 23.
The Chair of Magistrates described the case as “one of the most unusual cases ever dealt with in the magistrates’ court.
