11 July 2023 , 12:52
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A woman who allegedly tried to throttle a cockerel and then lashed out at it causing brain damage due to incessant 3am crowing has been fined more than £1,400.
Caroline Smith admitted causing unnecessary suffering to Eddy, a black Araucana cross cockerel, when she erupted in fury in September last year.
The lorry driver was living at moorings off Westhoughton Road, Adlington, and Manchester Magistrates Court heard that the 52-year-old became increasingly frustrated at being woken at 3am.
Smith believed that her neighbour had agreed to get rid of the cockerel and on returning from holiday she was again awoken by the bird so she reacted angrily.
A neighbour said they saw Smith trying to strangle Eddy and hit him with a boat fender. This knocked the bird unconscious with the neighbour rushing Eddy to the vet.
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Eddy the cockerel pictured (RSPCA)Blood was found around the bird's nostrils and the vet found it had suffered a brain injury, Lancashire Live reports. The vet also said it was not possible to determine if permanent brain damage had occurred or whether Eddy had been left with a disability.
Smith said she never meant to injure the bird, adding: “I could have killed it if I wanted to."
In an interview with the RSPCA, Smith said she came from a farming family and had worked in a pet shop as well as keeping chicken for 30 years so knew about animals.
Eddy lying injured after the attack (RSPCA)She said cockerels are not allowed at that mooring, and that she had not slept properly in six months because of other noise complaints there.
Representing herself in court, Smith, now of Riley Green Marina, said: “On the morning, once again we’ve been woken up. It started at 3.30am on a regular basis. We've been trying to resolve this noise for many months, it results in me having a lot of stress, high blood pressure, and migraines. It nearly lost me my job through lack of sleep.”
Smith said she never meant to injure the bird (Caroline Smith/ Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)She said the screaming noise may actually have been from chickens who were distressed by the incident and admitted there was a “commotion” as she tried to take Eddy from his cage.
As well as being disqualified from keeping birds, Smith was ordered to pay costs of £1,296 and a Victim Surcharge of £114.
RSPCA inspector Lyndsey Taylor said: “Last September, the RSPCA received a call from a member of the public concerned that a woman had been seen trying to kill a bird but failed and left it to suffer. The incident was also reported to Lancashire Police.
Smith was ordered to pay costs of £1,296 (Caroline Smith/ Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)“When I called the person who had reported the incident - who was a close neighbour of the defendant - he informed me that he was taking Eddy the cockerel to the emergency vets after an attack. The caller believed that the defendant had tried to strangle Eddy and had hit him with a boat fender, which left the cockerel unconscious for a few minutes.”
Caroline Smith admitted causing unnecessary suffering to Eddy (Caroline Smith/ Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)Inspector Taylor added: “There is never an excuse for deliberately harming and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal like this. Smith said that she worked nights and had been disturbed by noise made by Eddy’s owners - especially from their cockerel over the past couple of months - but other solutions could and should have been explored; rather than resorting to treating an animal like this.”
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The Mirror contacted the RSPCA for comment.