‘Torturer’ laughs at gull harm

A YOUNG man who allegedly caught a seagull on a fishing hook then laughed as his mates filmed the bird trying to fly away at a popular Hobart fishing spot has appeared in court.

Connor Joseph Churchill, 22, appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court before Magistrate Chris Webster for a contest mention after pleading not guilty to one count of aggravated cruelty to animals likely to result in death, deformity or serious disablement.

A contest mention is a pretrial hearing that aims to facilitate early guilty pleas and narrow the issues in dispute.

The charge related to an incident with another young adult and two youths reel in gin the creature after it swallowed a baited hook — damaging its gastrointestinal tract — on a Midway Point causeway in April2018.

Mr Churchill then allegedly restrained the silver gull by the neck and asked a friend to wrap fishing line around its leg, allowing the bird to attempt to fly away before it fell into the water.

Part of the incident was filmed and the footage was distributed via social media a pp Snapchat and was played to the court where the four people involved could be heard laughing.

Crown prosecutor Simon Nicholson alleged the gull had been “tortured, abused and terrified” and a veterinary consultant had found after watching the footage the silver gull would likely have suffered long-term health problems and possibly death.

He described the incident as “opportunistic and targeted ”.

One of Mr Churchill’s coaccused, Ethan William Seabourne, was sentenced earlier this year to 70 hours of communityservice.

Mr Webster gave Mr Churchill a week to consider his options.