Why was there no prosecution for killing a gull in Hastings?

From: Russell Burrows, St Mary’s Terrace, Hastings
Gulls along the shoreGulls along the shore
Gulls along the shore

So, a man kicks to death a herring gull in a busy Hastings street in full view of shoppers, two of whom gave witness statements to the police, the perpetrator admits to this crime of unspeakable cruelty, something that is a blatant beach of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, yet both Sussex Police and the RSPCA do virtually nothing to uphold the law and dissuade others from inflicting further attacks on gulls, something that is now an all too common occurrence in and around the town.

Just last year a very similar attack in Wales to that witnessed by shoppers here, resulted in a prison sentence for the perpetrator, with this individual being prosecuted by the RSPCA. Clearly then we are entitled to ask both the police and the RSPCA why when the circumstances of the Hastings case are so clearly a breach of the law, and there was no question as to who was responsible, was there no criminal prosecution?

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We are also very much justified in requesting an explanation for what appears to be a combined effort by both the police and the RSPCA at manipulating the public over this appalling act. No amount of emailing or phone calls to both organisations resulted in any explanations as to what their intentions were in this case. The brutal killing occurred on August 11, yet despite the culprit being bang to rights, there was radio silence from both organisations until the release of the communication of September 24, and what sickening sophistry it was too, with its claim of the situation having been ‘resolved’.

Since East Sussex Police want to be seen as accountable to us, and the RSPCA relies on contributions to fund their activities, both organisations should provide an explanation for their conduct in this case.

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