Animal ban for woman who walked seagull in York

A woman who was arrested as she walked a seagull on a lead has been banned from keeping wild animals for a year.

BBC News reports that officers found Anna Marie Marshall, 44, of no fixed abode, walking the bird in Parliament Street in York on 28 June. The injured bird had to be put down.

She appeared at York Magistrates' Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to animal cruelty offences and using abusive and threatening behaviour. Marshall was also given a 12-month community service order.

She pleaded guilty to injuring a wild bird, taking a wild bird, threatening and abusive behaviour and refusing to surrender at the court on Friday, when the case was originally due to be heard. An arrest warrant had been issued when she failed to appear.