Drunken teen bit pigeon’s head off

Mar 18 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

A DRUNKEN teenager who killed a wild pigeon by biting its head off felt ashamed and was physically sick after he sobered up and realised what he had done, a court heard yesterday.

Gruesome footage shot on the mobile phone of a friend showed Christopher Davidson, 18, place the bird’s head in his mouth, grip its body with both hands and use his teeth to sever its neck.

He then spat the head out and threw the body on to the ground, where it shook uncontrollably for a few seconds.

A number of voices could be heard laughing in the background during the video footage.

The horrific 2am incident was filmed after a group of Davidson’s friends egged him on to bite the pigeon’s head off after they had been out drinking in Morpeth, Northumberland, in July last year.

The footage was discovered by chance the following month when Davidson was arrested for an unrelated matter and his mobile phone seized and examined by police.

Yesterday the brief video film was shown to magistrates in Bedlington when Davidson, of Fifth Avenue, Stobhill, Morpeth, was given a 12-month community order, involving 100 hours of unpaid work, and told to pay £40 costs. At an earlier hearing, he had admitted a charge under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of intentionally killing a wild bird.

His solicitor, Angus Taylor, said Davidson had gained ‘unwanted notoriety’ across the North East since the incident came to light. His parents had received hate mail and been forced to put up with jibes, and his younger brother had been bullied at school.

Mr Taylor said the incident had been fuelled by drink and Davidson was deeply ashamed and physically sick when he was sober and realised what he had done the next day.

“The video is not an easy watch and it is not something this defendant is proud of in any shape or form. He has not set out to gain any kudos from this incident. It is not something he has been going around bragging about.

“The irony is that he is an animal lover himself and so he is thoroughly ashamed and remorseful. He has acted foolishly and will probably regret this for the rest of his life.”

Mr Taylor said Davidson and his friends were able to catch the pigeon because it had flown into an obstacle and been stunned, which might have lessened its ordeal.

“He was egged on by others while drunk at the time. This was a one-off incident which happened in drink, and there is genuine remorse.”

Magistrates told Davidson his actions had been cruel and had upset a lot of people, but they hoped he had learned from it and could put it behind him.

Last night James Leonard, the North East investigations officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said: “This is a particularly repellent and shocking example of wildlife vandalism.

“The law has protected wild birds for over 100 years and in the 21st Century this kind of sadistic incident is not only unacceptable but completely illegal. We would remind people of the protection afforded to wildlife, and that the police and courts take offences against wild birds seriously.”