Man found guilty of killing seagull in Weston-Super-Mare after it knocked chips from his hand

John Llewellyn Jones was on a day trip to Weston-Super-Mare when he "shocked by-standers" by killing a seagull. Credit: RSPCA

A man has been found guilty of killing a seagull in Weston-Super-Mare after it knocked chips from his hand.

According to the RSPCA, 64-year-old John Llewellyn Jones grabbed the gull by the leg and was seen "smashing it into a wall" by "shocked by-standers", some including children.

The act, branded "unthinkable and despicable" by the animal welfare charity, came after the bird flew around Jones and then knocked chips out of his hand.

Jones "shocked by-standers, including children" when he brutally killed the seagull for knocking chips from his hand. Credit: RSPCA

He was found guilty of a Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 offence at Weston-Super-Mare Magistrates court on Tuesday 12 March after pleading not guilty.

Witness accounts were reportedly "credible and compelling" and Jones has been sentenced to a 12-week curfew between 8pm and 8am.

He was also ordered to pay £750 in costs.

The 64-year-old is from Cardiff and travelled to the seaside town for a day out. Credit: RSPCA

The 64-year-old is from Cardiff and had travelled to Weston-Super-Mare for the day when he killed the gull on 17 July last year.

An RSPCA spokesperson said Jones showed "blatant disregard for animal welfare" and "cared more for his chips than what his actions did to the poor gull".

Gulls are protected under section 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981.