The peacock gave its owner Dave Courtney the slip for months
(Picture: Dave Courtney)A former gangster has hailed his neighbours for finally catching his fly-a-way peacock that had given him the slip for three months running free in a south London neighbourhood.
The bird, locally branded “The Plumstead Peacock”, was lured into a neighbour’s pool room with a trail of grapes after giving its owner Dave Courtney the slip for months.
The bird, which became a local attraction and was regularly spotted strutting up and down the street, will be given to a peacock sanctuary where its owner says there are two female peahens waiting to greet him.
Mr Courtney, 63, told The Standard: “He was looking the best I have ever seen him when he was caught. He was checking himself out in the mirror looking the absolute b******s.
“He is going to be getting his end away with all the females in the sanctuary.”
The former gangster turned actor said he is delighted to have caught the bird who has been heard brawling with the local foxes and somehow survived plummeting temperatures in recent days.
“If I found him torn to pieces in my garden the people in my street would have lynched me. How could I tell anyone?” he said.
“It’s such a beautiful end to the story. The whole neighbourhood is happy.”
He added that the neighbour who caught The Plumstead Peacock had turned down the offer of a reward asking for it to be donated to the peacock sanctuary in nearby Greenwich.
Neighbours reacted with joy after Mr Courtney announced the capture on Facebook.
One said: “Great news Dave. Lucky boy avoiding predators and ending up with 2 hens!”
Another said: “Maybe you could get a pet tiger now like Tony Montana.”
Former ‘hard man’ Dave Courtney is offering a £250 reward to help catch his pet peacock which escaped from Camelot Castle, Plumstead, London.
— Mr Pål Christiansen 🇳🇴😍🇬🇧 (@TheNorskaPaul) October 1, 2022
He was the inspiration for Vinnie Jones' character Big Chris in Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. pic.twitter.com/3KkevZPUgC
Mr Courney had built a special 12-foot-high fence enclosure but moments after bringing him home the peacock flew out of the roofless coop with the actor admitting at the time: “I didn’t know they could fly.”
