Man jailed after killing gull by repeated stamping in Blackpool
Six-week prison sentence handed down to Anthony Nurse after CCTV captured him repeatedly stamping on a gull in a deliberate attack.
Disturbing attack caught on camera
A man from Merseyside has been jailed after CCTV footage showed him repeatedly stamping on a gull in a Blackpool street, killing the bird. The incident took place on Springfield Road on 17 December last year, when the man was seen kicking out at a group of gulls before one became trapped under his foot. He then stamped on the bird’s body three times and walked away, leaving it dead in the road.
The footage was passed to the RSPCA, which issued a public appeal for information to identify the attacker. Members of the public responded, enabling the charity to trace the man and open a formal investigation into the incident.
Court case and sentence
At a remote hearing at Preston Magistrates’ Court on 19 November, Anthony Nurse, of Hurstlyn Road in Liverpool, was jailed for six weeks. He had already pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Nurse was arrested in connection with unrelated matters, and the gull case was then progressed alongside those investigations. When interviewed about the incident, he initially denied being the person shown in the footage, but later admitted the offence in court.
RSPCA: ‘Distressing’ cruelty to a much-misunderstood bird
RSPCA Inspector Daniel Tomlinson, who collected the gull’s body and led the investigation, described the footage as distressing to watch and thanked the member of the public who came forward with information.
He highlighted that gulls are among the wild birds most frequently subjected to deliberate cruelty. The charity receives a report of deliberate or extreme cruelty towards gulls approximately every three days, ranging from shootings and poisonings to beatings and kicking incidents.
< p>Inspector Tomlinson stressed that gulls are unique, intelligent and highly adaptable birds that deserve compassion and respect, not persecution. He also noted that there are serious conservation concerns for some gull species and that all wild birds are protected by law.Promoting understanding and prevention
The RSPCA is using the case as a reminder that violence towards gulls and other wildlife is unacceptable and can lead to prosecution and imprisonment. The charity continues to encourage the public to report incidents of cruelty, and to seek advice on how to live alongside gulls in urban areas.
By promoting better understanding of gull behaviour and legal protections, the RSPCA hopes to reduce conflict and prevent similar attacks. The organisation has reiterated its commitment to protecting all animals - including those that are sometimes seen as less popular or misunderstood - from deliberate harm.
December 2025
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