Man sentenced to 24 weeks in prison for engaging in inappropriate behavior with a bird

A man has been sentenced to 24 weeks in jail after admitting to engaging in inappropriate acts involving an animal while holding a baby seagull. David Lee, aged 40, captured the seabird and took it to a secluded area in Sunderland, where he proceeded to remove his trousers and engage in sexual activity with the bird. The incident was recorded on a local resident’s CCTV camera. Initially claiming to have been helping the young gull, Lee was later found to have been watching “animal porn” during the incident. South Tyneside Magistrate’s Court imposed the immediate jail term and a 10-year ban on Lee from keeping animals. Lee, described as a heavy drinker with an unstable personality disorder, had previously pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the herring gull. Prosecution described the act as deliberate, gratuitous, and causing significant distress to the bird. Lee’s defense cited his alcoholism, blackout episodes, and a psychiatric report highlighting his detachment from reality and pathological lying tendencies. The court emphasized the deliberate intent to inflict suffering and the high level of distress caused.