Jonathan “Jonny” Roberts, the Bradford activist accused of battering a seagull to death in St Ives, Cornwall, has now openly admitted punching the bird after it stole his £9 fish burger.
Speaking during a live chat on X, Roberts said: “A lot of seagulls swooped down and stole my f****** fish butty. So I f****** knocked one out.”
The incident, which happened in front of his wife and daughter on June 10, sparked outrage across social media and prompted an investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police.
Witness Rosie Reynolds described seeing Roberts grab the protected herring gull, hold it so it could not escape, and repeatedly punch it before throwing it to the ground. She claims the bird was still alive but had suffered devastating injuries.
A local fish and chip shop owner also described Roberts as rude and said the community was shocked by what had happened.
What many people are highlighting is the apparent contradiction between Roberts’ own online activity and the allegations against him.
His X account, “JonnyUtd”, regularly posts criticism of animal cruelty and contains posts condemning those who harm animals. In one message, he reportedly praised people who wanted to punish those who kill innocent animals. In others, he accused Israel of mistreating animals and argued that cruelty towards animals should never be tolerated.
Now, following his own admission that he punched the gull, critics are accusing him of staggering hypocrisy but that’s lefties for you complete hypocrites and just nasty toxic people full of hate and anger.
Herring gulls are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, and offences involving them can carry unlimited fines and up to six months in prison.
Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed that enquiries into the incident remain ongoing.