Enraged man bashed seagull to death in front of kids after it knocked chips out of his hands

A man in the United Kingdom has been found guilty after smashing a seagull to death as horrified children watched after the bird knocked his chips out of his hand.

John Llewellyn Jones, 64, of Cardiff, killed the seagull during a day trip to Weston-super-Mare last year. Witnesses said he held the bird by its legs and smashed it into a wall, according to Wales Online.

The wild birds are a protected species under the UK's Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Simon Evans, an inspector for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals inspector, said: "This was an unthinkable and despicable way to treat an animal with this gull smashed against a wall by the man solely because it knocked chips from his hand.

"This was deliberate cruelty borne from the fact that this man cared more for his chips than what his actions did to the poor gull. Simply, the man showed blatant disregard for an animal because he was annoyed about his chips.

"Witnesses saw the attack and shocked by-standers, including children, had to look on as the man killed the gull," Evans said.

Jones had pleaded not guilty in the killing. But he was found guilty after magistrates listened to witnesses who described the attack.

Jones was sentenced to a 12-week curfew and ordered to pay £750 in costs and also a £85 victim surcharge, Wales Online reported.