A pervert who carried out a "bizarre" sexual act on a baby herring gull in Sunderland has been jailed.
David Lee was captured on CCTV with a baby seagull in between his legs whilst carrying out a sex act in the early hours of August 18 last year. He then got out his mobile phone and began watching "animal porn" during the act before kicking the bird away.
The 40-year-old, who is not originally from Sunderland but lives in Roker Avenue, Roker, appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for carrying out a sexual act involving a herring gull that caused unnecessary suffering to the bird. The offence comes under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and he had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing.
Read more: Herring gull court case LIVE: Updates as Sunderland man is sentenced for 'bizarre' sex act on bird
The court heard that the strange offence was committed in an alleyway near Gladstone Street, Sunderland, at around 1am, and was captured on a local resident's CCTV. Lesley Burgess, prosecuting, said Lee was later identified from the footage while in a nearby takeaway.
She said: “The first CCTV clip shows him at around 1am where he runs down the street trying to chase a seagull. Footage then moves to a back alley where he is shown walking with a baby gull in his arms. The defendant takes down his trousers, takes his phone out of his pocket and places it on a box.
“He then kneels down and it is clear he’s carrying out a sex act. He moves the gull between his legs for a time. He engages in a sexual act with the baby gull. He then stands back up and kicks (the bird) away.”
The court heard that Lee initially denied the bizarre offence and claimed he was helping the injured gull and was using his phone to search for a vet. However, when his phone was later checked by police, “animal porn” was found on the device, which he had been viewing at the time.
A statement from the resident who captured Lee on CCTV said Lee’s actions caused them “mental stress and anxiety” after viewing the footage. The resident added the footage “haunted” them and could not get the "horrendous" image out of their head.
Annalisa Moscardini, defending, said it was an “unusual offence” and that “alcohol is quite heavily involved here”. She said Lee suffers from “blackouts” due to his alcohol use and that his initial not guilty plea was because there was “genuine disbelief” he’d done it.
However, after viewing the CCTV he accepted he was responsible. She said: “He doesn’t have a recollection of it and can’t explain why it happened.” She added there was no intention to harm the bird but that there was a “deliberate disregard for the welfare of the animal”.
Ms Moscardini told the court that there was a “detailed background” and that a psychiatrist found Lee has “unstable personality disorder” and a “detachment from reality”. She added Lee has a disorder which is “colloquially known as pathological lying”.
Lee, who is on benefits, has a criminal record and was given a prison sentence in 2020 for possession of a blade, the court was told.
Sentencing Lee, Chair of the Bench, Angela Thompson, said suffering was caused to the young bird and that Lee had consumed alcohol and accessed porn involving animals at the time of the offence - which were aggravating features.
Because of the severity of the offence, Lee was jailed for 24 weeks and must pay £300 costs and a £150 surcharge. He has also been banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
