CONVICTED (2022) | Philip D Stevens, born c. 1984, of 11 Lon Cadfan, Prestatyn LL19 8HJ – convicted for badger baiting and dog cruelty.
Stevens, owner of landscaping business Cut Above Tree & Landscapes, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty offences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This included causing unnecessary suffering to his own dogs.
Image source: Naturewatch
A joint investigation by North Wales Police and the RSPCA was initiated by the investigations team at Naturewatch Foundation following the discovery of disturbing photographs showing Stevens’ brutality towards wildlife.
Photographs posted to social media showed Stevens posing with his badly injured dogs. He had attempted to cover his face with emojis but was identified anyway.
A warrant was executed at Stevens’ property during which it was found that he was keeping dogs with untreated injuries outside in poor living conditions.
A white Patterdale Lakeland cross terrier called Millie, had extensive facial scarring resulting in the partial loss of her nose and an area of fresh grazing and reddening below her left eye.
She was also more than five weeks pregnant.
Another kennel housed a black and tan female terrier called Jess, who was sheltering in a plastic barrel. This dog seemed reluctant to move and appeared withdrawn and lethargic.
She was suffering from an extensive injury to her chin, which had scabbed over, and a laceration to the lower lip on the left-hand side.
Both nostrils were also blocked, preventing her from breathing normally.
A male and female bull lurcher were also both removed from the premises.
All four animals have since been rehomed by the RSPCA after being signed over into the charity’s care.
Image source: Naturewatch
Stevens, who said he didn’t own the dogs but was responsible for them, was told that they were being seized, to which he replied: “Can I say goodbye to them? I love my dogs.”
Image source: Naturewatch
Analysis of his mobile phone revealed dozens of further disturbing images and footage, including:
Stevens digging at the entrance of a badger sett.
One of the severely injured terriers with injuries consistent with those seen at the time they were seized.
A live badger recently stunned and disabled but still kicking above ground with one of the dogs attacking it and another present.
Two of the dogs being used to dig underground.
Stevens holding one of the terriers who has significant injuries to her nose and face.
One of the dogs being encouraged to attack a badger.
One of the dogs attacking a fox, which is thought to be alive, with Stevens’ voice heard in the background.
Stevens and an unknown male with one of the dogs and a dead fox.
Naturewatch Foundation’s investigator tasked with this case said, “We commenced our investigation into Phil Stevens and suspected badger digging in early 2021 and were determined to seek justice for the animals who suffered so terribly at his hands.
“Wild mammals suffered a violent and protracted death and Stevens’ dogs sustained serious injuries, purely for his entertainment. He failed to provide his dogs with veterinary treatment for their wounds, causing them to suffer further. The images of the conditions these poor dogs were found living in speak for themselves.”
Sentencing | two years in jail suspended for 12 months; 180 hours of community service; £628 in costs and surcharge. Disqualified from keeping dogs for five years (expires October 2027)
CONVICTED (2022) | Rhys Owen Davies, born 12 December 1993, of Bwthyn Grug, Llanbedrog, Pwllheli LL53 7HN – kept five dogs for animal fighting and failed to treat their injuries.
Davies, who has now returned to his home town of Llanbedrog in North Wales, admitted keeping and training five Patterdale Terriers to fight animals, as well as failing to seek veterinary treatment for two which had sustained injuries from fighting.
Davies, a former gamekeeper at the Millden shooting estate* in Glenesk, Brechin, Angus DD9, also pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of his firearms licence by having unsecured firearms and ammunition in his then home in Turnabrae House.
Davies kept trophy photos of dogs he used to fight and bait wild animals
The court heard that an employee of a photo print company contacted the SSPCA with serious concerns about the welfare of several dogs pictured in an order for 58 images placed by Davies.
Many of the dogs showed progressively more serious facial injuries over the period the images were taken and several males posing and digging into what looked like badger setts or fox dens. There were numerous images showing dead foxes.
Many of the images showed injured dogs and dead foxes.One horrific image showed a terrier latched onto a bleeding badger
The SSPCA identified them as ‘trophy’ photographs showing a group of males engaging in the organised fighting and killing of wild animals over an extended period. Davies was easily identifiable in many of the images.
Inspectors from the SSPCA and officers from Police Scotland went to Davies’ home in Brechin with a warrant on the morning of October 8, 2019. Police found a Benelli shotgun propped against a wall near the front door, two rifles were also found, a Tikka .243 rifle on the sofa and a CZ rifle in the hall cupboard next to the open gun cabinet.
An assortment of ammunition, including 23 bullets in a pot on the floor, five in a carrier bag behind the front door and one on top of a bed were seized by police.
Davies was pictured alongside others posing after digging into fox dens or badger setts.
Eleven dogs were found within kennels on the property. Five Patterdale Terrier dogs had obvious signs of injury.
Two of the terriers, Lola and Tuck, had fresh injuries. Lola’s were to her mouth and lower jaw and Tuck had part of his lower face missing and fresh injuries which produced an obvious smell when near the dog. There were also healing wounds to his forelegs.
All the dogs were taken to Scottish SPCA facilities for examination and treatment.
Inspectors found equipment on the property linked to illegal animal fighting including, locator collars, medication, needles and syringes and a staple gun used to staple up injuries.
Badger DNA was found on a red locator collar following forensic examination.
Photobooks were recovered from the property like the print order placed by Davies.
The dogs had been used repeatedly for fighting, resulting in serious disfigurement
Davies was interviewed under caution and admitted that the dogs had not received veterinary treatment in the time that he had owned them. He denied using the dogs to fight or kill foxes or badgers and claimed they had sustained injury from legal ratting and foxing.
Davies agreed to sign all the terrier dogs over to the Scottish SPCA for rehoming.
The injured dogs were examined by specialist vets. Their expert opinion was that the dogs had been kept for the purposes of animal fighting and their injuries were sustained from face-to-face combat with badgers or foxes.
Another dog is left disfigured after being trained to fight badgers and foxes for the entertainment of her sick owner
Davies’ phone was seized during the search and images of him engaged in digging activities and the dogs with fresh wounds were found. There were also numerous conversations with associates referencing digging activities and sharing photographs showing dogs pulling badgers out of setts.
A number of voice messages with associates were also found where they discussed digging with the dogs. In one message, Davies’ asks an individual about the size of photographs to print to make a digging album. Davies states, “And if I do get the knock for it at least everything’s all in the one place for them to find”.
GPS location data from Davies’ phone also placed him in two rural locations on 21 September 2019 where he was found to have had a conversation with the same associate about meeting to bait and later that night his associate sent an image of Davies standing in a large hole holding one of the terrier dogs.
Speaking after the sentencing, Karon Rollo, Head of the Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit of COPFS said: “Animal fighting is a cruel illegal activity which causes terrible and unnecessary suffering to animals.
“The evidence clearly shows the scope of the involvement Rhys Davies had with an organised group that took pleasure in killing wild animals in such a wicked and inhumane manner.
“I welcome the sentence and the granting of the order preventing him from keeping animals for 15 years. I would like to thank Police Scotland and the Scottish SPCA for their part in investigating and gathering evidence of these offences.
“Hopefully this prosecution and the sentence will serve as a message to others who would cause such suffering that there are consequences and that they will be held to account for their actions and could also lose their liberty.
“COPFS will continue to work to ensure those who participate in these barbaric practices are prosecuted and would encourage anyone who may have information on animal fighting to contact Police Scotland or the Scottish SPCA.”
Sentencing | eight months in prison; £1,800 fine for firearms offences. Banned from owning or keeping animals for 15 years.
*The Millden Estate is one of a number of shooting estates in the Angus Glens. According to the insightful blog Raptor Persecution UK, the estate is “long- known amongst conservationists as a raptor persecution hotspot” where in 2009 a poisoned golden eagle named Alma was found, with a golden buzzard meeting a similar fate in the same year.
Another blogger, former police officer Alan Stewart aka the Wildlife Detective, described a “catalogue of criminality” taking place on the estate, with incidents including a working collie being poisoned in 2006. He continues:
Around the same time the eggs of a nesting hen harrier disappeared and two fresh shotgun cartridge cases were found near the nest. Despite DNA tests on the cartridge cases and the shotguns of the keepers being taken for comparison with the mark on the cartridge cases made by the firing pin no charges could be brought.
… in 2009 a dead otter was found in a fox snare.
In 2010 an egg tray and nitrile gloves, all with traces of pesticide, were recovered buried on the estate. It is likely that eggs baited with pesticide had been set out.
In 2011 a buzzard was seen being shot. The person doing the shooting drove off in a Land Rover. Neither the vehicle nor the person shooting could be identified. Despite a search on a rocky hill face, we were unable to recover the dead buzzard.
In 2012 … a satellite-tagged golden eagle probably caught in a spring trap, mysteriously moved overnight from Millden Estate and was found dumped, still alive and with two broken legs, on Deeside.
No one has ever been prosecuted for any of these alleged offences and Millden Estate has denied any responsibility.
On 1 November 2022 the Daily Record published an article revealing Rhys Davies’ links to other convicted wildlife persecutors Anthony Holloway (who’s also involved in dog fighting) and Liam Taylor.
CONVICTED (2022) | Samuel Matthew Hill, born 2 October 1993, previously of Croes y Waun in Waunfawr, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 4YP and now at The Dolbadarn Hotel, Llanberis, Gwynedd LL55 4SU – allowed his dogs to become skeletal and emaciated.
The court heard that Hill had brought his two dogs – Labrador crosses Alexa and Finley – to a veterinary surgery.
Both were emaciated. Alexa was “skeletally thin” and “near death”. She was still breathing but “unresponsive” and covered in urine and faeces. Vets agreed it was in the dog’s best interests that she be put to sleep.
The condition of Finley was “the worst of a living dog he had seen”, according to one vet. He was emaciated and had sores.
The prosecutor said Hill admitted he should not have allowed the animals’ condition to have got so bad. One dog was 56% underweight the other was 44% underweight. The vets contacted the RSPCA and the police.
The court heard Hill said he had experienced a relationship breakdown and poor mental health at the time. He said his ex-partner had originally been jointly responsible for the dogs, but after the breakup he was solely responsible.
He was accused of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal by not adequately investigating their weight loss and bodily conditions at Croes y Waun in Waunfawr, Gwynedd, between August 15 and September 7, 2021. He was also accused of causing unnecessary suffering by not providing a suitable diet of adequate nutritional value to the same dogs over the same period.
Finley was described in court as “alive and well”.
Andrew Scott, defending, said his client had had a mental breakdown and the treatment of the dogs had not been deliberate. The animals had however suffered from starvation and emaciation for a minimum of three weeks.
Bench chairman Elfed ap Gomer told Hill: “This is a very sad case.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and 10-day rehabilitation activity; £1,095 costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for an unlimited period but can appeal after just ONE year.
CONVICTED (2022) | Derek Lee Adamson, born 27 May 1981, of Pont Wen, Wrexham LL13 – jailed and disqualified from keeping animals for 20 years following the death of two calves.
Violent career criminal Adamson, whose previous convictions include theft and assault and making threats to kill against his own mother, was found guilty of numerous charges, including three of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal as well as:
Failing to care appropriately for ill or injured farmed animals without delay
Failing to isolate sick or injured farmed animals in suitable accommodation
Failing to feed a wholesome diet to farmed animals
Failing to ensure farmed animals have access to suitable fresh water supply
Failing to inspect housed calves twice daily to check state of well-being
Failing to clean / disinfect housing / stall / pen / equipment used for calves
Failing to provide calves with appropriate bedding
Failing to notify the secretary of state of the death of an animal and enter details in an animal passport.
In 2007 Adamson received a ten year ban for omission resulting in animal suffering.
That elapsed without breaches, but the council continued to be “heavily involved” with Adamson after 2017.
In June 2020, the authority seized sheep from a piece of land he rented in Wrexham after concerns about them.
The in March 2021, he bought six calves from a livestock market.
They were £4 each and were three weeks old when they were purchased.
Animal welfare officers attended the site where Adamson kept his animals to check on an older calf he’d already taken on after concerns it was spotted with a bloated stomach.
While there, the officers noticed a livestock trailer in a field.
It had the six calves locked inside it with no access to water or feed. Despite that, they appeared bright and alert.
Adamson was written to by the council and he had been asked to make sure there was adequate water and feed, and to remove hazardous rubble and metal from the site.
A council animal welfare officer returned to the site ten days later with a vet to check on the calves.
The rubble was still there and one of the calves had died.
Two were in a serious condition – one lying “barely alive” in the muck-filled trailer, and the other trapped between the trailer and a hedge.
Both were unable to stand and were beyond treatment, so were euthanised.
Three of the calves did survive, but were thin and “clearly hungry.”
They were taken by the council.
The court decided the offence was so serious – due to “ill treatment in [a] commercial context resulting in death of two young calves” – that a custodial sentence was justified.
Sentencing: two consecutive prison sentences of 24 weeks for the first of the two causing unnecessary suffering offences, making a total jail term of 48 weeks. For each of the other charges, he received a 10 week concurrent sentence; costs of £2,334, a victim surcharge of £128. Disqualified from keeping any animals for a period of 20 years.
On 13 May 2022 it was reported that Adamson’s appeal to reduce his 20-year disqualification order had been refused.
Andrew Green, acting on behalf of the appellant, said: “This is a very long and bad record.
“I don’t for one minute underestimate the seriousness.
“I recognise the court is not just sceptical, but concerned about his ability to care for animals.”
Mr Green said the ban would last until his client is 60, when he will be significantly physically less able to do the work he does.
He added: “He’s a very unsophisticated man and has spent his whole life labouring outdoors.
“That’s the only life he knows and when he leaves prison he will go back to that life in some form or another. In reality, it is the only life he knows.
“I recognise he needs to suffer a ban – I ask the court to temper the sentence that has been passed.”
Judge Niclas Parry said: “If Mr Adamson didn’t deliberately cause cruelty to these animals, he’s not capable of looking after them.
“It’s clear from the facts of the case that he doesn’t have the basic knowledge that animals need water, food, a dry lying area.
“They need ground that’s not dangerous because of rubble and metal.
“The animals were found in such a condition, they were beyond treatment.
“There are two worrying aspects; despite advice given by an authority that tried to help, nothing improved.
“And this is the second time Mr Adamson has been prosecuted for similar matters.
“Last time he was disqualified for ten years from keeping animals. That would have expired in 2017 and within four years these appalling facts were emerging.”
The 20 year ban aspect of the appeal was refused.
However the appeal in relation to costs was allowed – with the Judge adding: “It is inappropriate to order a man who has no income, and who is imprisoned, to pay costs, let alone in excess of £2,000.”
CONVICTED (2021) | Mark Smallman, born c. 1973, of Alwen. Acrefair, Wrexham LL14 3EU – stole four toy poodles from a commercial breeder; one dog died after being hit by a car.
The court heard that drugs were at the root of dog thief Smallman’s persistent offending.
Smallman admitted committing burglary and stealing the dogs from the Vicarage Kennels in Berse Road, New Broughton, Wrexham, which is owned by Julie Ann and David Crabtree.
He originally appeared before magistrates in Llandudno in the summer of 2021 and denied the crime altogether.
The case was due to go on trial in October 2021, but Smallman confessed to everything just weeks before the hearing.
Smallman pinched the poodles from the breeder on November 18, 2020.
Three of the dogs were recovered, but one sadly died after being struck by a car.
The court heard the kennels were checked on the night of the burglary but there was nothing untoward.
Smallman snatched three female poodles and one male – in the hours after that check took place.
The court was told it became clear to the business owners that Smallman had gained entry to the site by snapping a padlock.
Smallman left a “not so insignificant quantity of blood” that police tested and used as a trail back to him.
A social media appeal was launched by Julie Crabtree while the investigation was ongoing, in a bid to get the dogs back to the kennels.
One dog that was spotted running loose in the Brymbo area sadly died after being hit by two cars and left to die in the road.
It was not clear how the dog managed to get loose in the rural Wrexham village before it died.
A woman contacted the couple who run the kennels, believing they had just purchased the remaining three dogs for around £5,000 all together. This was confirmed to be the case when Ms Crabtree visited them next day.
Smallman was arrested on January 13, 2021
Simon Kileen, defending Smallman, acknowledged that jail was inevitable” but asked the judge to consider imposing the shortest possible prison term.
The judge was told that drugs were the root cause of his offending, leading him to turn to crime to fund the lifestyle.
It had been “some time” since Smallman had committed a crime, saying that there is a “seed of hope” that he is getting his life on track, Mr Kileen added.
Recorder John Philpotts told Smallman he had caused “great sadness” to the family who lost one of the poodles.
Passing a two year prison term, the judge added: “These dogs were sold clearly for some significant gain. It is not clear or suggested that you were responsible for the selling of the dogs, but you were the one who took them in the first place – that cannot be ignored.”
Permanently losing one of the animals taken will have caused ‘serious trauma’ to the kennel owners, the judge stressed.
CONVICTED (2021) | Thomas Lee Trinkl, born 7 March 1993, of Sealand Court, Sealand Avenue, Garden City, Deeside CH5 2HL – attacked his dog and left the pet with untreated rib fractures and wounds to his face and paw.
Trinkl was given an 18-week suspended prison sentence and banned from keeping animals for 10 years after a court heard he threw his pet dog over a fence because he was frustrated with training him.
The dog, a Sharpei named Teddy, suffered serious rib fractures and wounds on his face and paw, which were not discovered until weeks later.
Teddy was taken to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for treatment where vets found he had three historic rib fractures that had also been left untreated.
Speaking at his trial, Trinkl said Teddy’s broken ribs could have been caused when he was out on a walk or left unaccompanied in the street.
However, the court heard that an RSPCA officer had visited Bridge View in Deeside in 2020, following reports from members of the public who had seen Teddy being hit and thrown over a fence.
Passers-by reported that Teddy was extremely nervous and appeared scared by any sudden movements.
Trinkl, who has a history of violence, later admitted throwing the pooch over the fence but said this was because he was frustrated with training the animal.
RSPCA inspector Jenny Anderton said: “Tommy Trinkl said he got frustrated with the dog sometimes and that the previous day, the dog had “tipped him over the edge” and that he had thrown it over the wall as it was “the only way out”.
“I asked him whether he would like to sign the dog over if he wasn’t managing with its behaviour. He said he would think about it. He said the dog had been toileting in the house and that he lost his rag with the dog sometimes but he didn’t want to give up on it like his family had given up on him.”
The court was told that Teddy would show signs of fear when Trinkl became agitated and would shake, urinate and defecate in the house.
He said he hadn’t noticed his dog was in pain because of the rib fractures and said Teddy was “always having little accidents” and might do things like “run into a door.”
The vet who first treated Teddy told the court: “It requires considerable force to disrupt the structure of a bone and cause it to break or fracture. The owner’s explanation of how Teddy’s injuries could have occurred do not match the severity of the injuries.
“It is my opinion that Teddy was allowed to suffer due to a failure of his owner to present the dog for veterinary assessment and treatment of multiple rib fractures.
“It is also my opinion that there is a significant probability that the injuries identified in Teddy were non-accidental in nature and that the owner, Thomas Lee Trinkl, was the most likely person to have assaulted Teddy.”
A second veterinary surgeon who examined and took X-rays of Teddy, said: “The fractures will have resulted in unnecessary pain and suffering to Teddy which in my opinion has occurred on multiple occasions.”
Teddy has made good progress in the care of the RSPCA and will be looking for a new home.
Sentencing: 18-week suspended prison sentence; 240 hours of unpaid work; victim surcharge of £128. 10-year ban from owning animals (expires October 2031).
Thomas Lee Trinkl, now of East Parade, in Rhyl was found guilty of after trial of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The court heard that Trink’s attack on his autistic neighbour left the man “covered in blood”.
Gary Harvey, defending, said Trinkl had made significant changes in his life and outlook since the offence, telling the court his client had significant mental health difficulties of his own.
He explained: “I’ve seen a remarkable change in him from where he was a couple of years ago.
“He’s on post-sentence supervision at the moment and turns 30 next week
[…]
“Clearly he was suffering at the time, but there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation – a custodial sentence would be such a backward step.”
The court heard how Trinkl had been engaging well with probation services on his post sentence supervision, and that he now works with community mental health services on a regular basis.
Trinkl was handed a six month custodial sentence, but it was suspended for two years given his engagement with probation and mental health issues. He was ordered to pay £500 compensation to the victim, as well as £320 in prosecution costs. A two year restraining order was put in place to protect the victim.
CONVICTED (2021) | Christopher Jesper, born 26 February 1972, from Pydar Street, Truro – slapped a husky repeatedly
Drifter Jesper, who has links to Plymouth, Chester, York and Bangor in Wales, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the unnamed dog by slapping him or her several times.
Jesper was sentenced on March 5 2021
Jesper was ordered to pay a fine of £40, a surcharge of £95 and costs of £85. He was barred from keeping a dog for a period of two years (expires March 2023).
CONVICTED (2021) | Stephen Paul Lees, born c. 1959, of Cwttir Lane, St Asaph LL17 0LF – left a mare with such severe injuries from a halter rope around her face that she had to be put to sleep
Lees was found guilty of an Animal Welfare Act offence in his absence, and sentenced on 13 May 2021 at Mold Magistrates’ Court.
RSPCA inspector Jenny Anderton attended a farm on Cwttir Lane in October 2019 to respond to welfare concerns about a grey Arab mare horse.
The horse was seen in a field with a roller around her body and a rope headcollar to her head, with the lead rope dangling to the floor. The horse repeatedly stood on the rope, causing the head collar to tighten more and more each time.
Lees was urged by the RSPCA to seek urgent medical attention for the horse – and to find a veterinary surgeon who could dart the animal if she could not be caught.
However, the RSPCA soon witnessed Lees trying to catch the animal by driving after the horse in a vehicle and beeping the horn repeatedly – something which caused the animal “great distress”.
He told the animal welfare charity he had “absolutely no intention of incurring any vet bills”.
The RSPCA later contacted a vet, who was able to sedate the horse with a dart. Sadly, the injuries to the horse caused by the rope were so severe that she had to be put to sleep to prevent further suffering.
Vets found that bone on the horse’s head had been left exposed, and there were deep wounds on the underside of the jaw area. Wounds to the equine were found to be filled with maggots and eggs.
Veterinary opinion concluded that the horse “had been caused unnecessary pain and suffering by having had a rope halter tied to (her) face and being placed into a field”.
RSPCA chief inspector Leanne Hardy said: “We urged the man to seek veterinary attention for the horse and to get help in catching the distressed horse if this was needed – but this was not heeded.
“At the site our inspector Jenny Anderton instead witnessed the man driving after the horse in a vehicle and beeping the horn repeatedly. This would only have caused the horse great distress and only made a bad situation even worse.
“RSPCA Cymru brought an independent vet to the site – who was able to sedate the horse, remove the rope and check her over. Sadly, the injuries were so severe that they were of the opinion she should be put to sleep to prevent further suffering.”
Sentencing: 18 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months; 25 rehabilitation days; ordered to pay £600 in costs and a £122 victim surcharge. Disqualified from keeping all equines for just 18 months (expired November 2022).
CONVICTED (2021) | Dean Mannifield (aka Dean Pitts), born c. 1993, originally from Warrington but is of no fixed abode and has links to Colchester, Harlow and Epping in Essex and Rhyl, North Wales – battered a dog during a burglary, causing injuries so severe she had to be put to sleep
Dog killer: Dean Mannifield’s long criminal record includes a horrific act of violence towards a helpless animal
Mannifield was also charged with assaulting a couple, threatening three people at the scene and also threatening to cause criminal damage. It is believed that he was convicted on some if not all of the charges including the animal cruelty charge, but there are no newspaper reports to confirm this.
As of February 2021 and aged just 27 Mannifield had racked up 18 previous convictions for 47 offences with his other crimes including harassment, breach of a restraining order and affray against an ex-partner.
In February 2021, he was back before the courts again after subjecting a young mum to months of sickening domestic violence.
He also admitted breaking into a gun shop in Colchester during which he stole seven hunting shotguns.
He was jailed for five years and ten months and given an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim. He will serve half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.
CONVICTED (2020) | John Nicholson, born c. 1952, from Gronant, near Prestatyn in Wales – killed a seagull with his walking stick
John Nicholson was captured on CCTV attacking and killing a defenceless seagull with his walking stick
Nicholson was convicted of intentionally killing a wild bird in Rhyl, Wales in January 2020 as well as disorderly behaviour by being abusive to police.
CCTV footage from Market Street captures Nicholson as he walks towards a flock of seagulls who had gathered on the pavement, clutching a white paper bag in one hand.
He then suddenly strikes at one of the birds as shocked onlookers watch, before turning and walking away from the scene.
Nicholson appears to place the paper bag in his pocket as he heads towards the nearby Lorne Hotel and the clip comes to an end.
Mr Nicholson was arrested under the Wildlife Countryside Act Protection of Birds law after the gull was found ‘smashed to bits’.
Court chairman Alwyn Lloyd Ellis said the CCTV ‘clearly shows an act of intent by the defendant. As a result the bird died.’
Nicholson had no previous convictions and was fined in his absence.
Sentencing: ordered to pay £180 for each of the two charges and £652 in costs.
