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Bloke 'plucked seagull out the air and punched it to death after it nicked his Cornish pasty'

Police have launched an appeal after a man allegedly attacked a seagull in St Ives, Cornwall, after it snatched his food, leaving onlookers horrified

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MAIN: Seagull 'attack' sparks police hunt for man who 'punched' bird in tourist hotspot PICTURED: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1009800304741087&set=gm.2038972163398581&idorvanity=199587664003716

A tourist has been accused of grabbing a seagull out of the air and attacking it in the Cornish seaside town of St Ives. The suspect, who was with his family, reportedly punched the bird and slammed it against a wall after it snatched his pasty on Wednesday (June 10).

Angry locals reportedly shared photos of the man online and claimed the bird was attacked in retaliation for the food theft, as police urged anyone with CCTV to come forward.

Rosie Reynolds, who was working at a boat tour stall, said she saw the incident unfold in front of her.

[The man, who was reportedly with his family, is alleged to have punched the bird]

The man, who was reportedly with his family, is alleged to have punched the bird(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

She told the Daily Mail: He was walking with his wife and child and the gull just swooped down and stole his pasty. He just grabbed it and had its head in his hand and punched it hard in the chest. It was sort of held in his arm so it couldn't escape.

After three or four punches the bird went limp then he threw it to the ground where it just lay there, it was still alive but its chest cavity was caved in and I think it just went off to die. I went over and berated him as did some other people, I said you can't do that, its illegal and his wife said the same, I think she was shocked, I asked if he'd do the same to a child who stole an ice cream but he just called me a cow and told me to f*** off.

Reynolds continued: I'm just so shocked, tourists sometimes kick out at the seagulls but this is the worst I've ever seen. I recognised his picture straight away on Facebook, I know several people have reported him to police and I hope they can deal with him properly.

[The man slammed it against a wall after it snatched his pasty on Wednesday (June 10)]

The man slammed it against a wall after it snatched his pasty on Wednesday (June 10)(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

A takeaway owner, who did not want to be named, said he served the man shortly beforehand, the Daily Mail reported. He reportedly claimed the bird actually grabbed a fish burger.

He said: I just remember the guy was really rude, his wife seemed lovely but he was just demanding and said he needed to drive back to Yorkshire as soon as he could. Another witness, Pauly Ford, wrote on Facebook: Just witnessed a 'man' grab a seagull that had knocked the pasty out of his hand and punched the bird twice really, really hard.

This was at the harbour. The bird wasn't able to fly away and a lady at the sea island boat trips picked it up to look after, sadly the bird had a big hole in its chest so will likely not survive.

[He was accused of killing the bird in front of families and children]

He was accused of killing the bird in front of families and children(Image: Getty Images)

Not sure what to do about this, we have a picture of the guy after killing a seagull because he's an idiot is there anything we can do. Surely the police will want to know.

The man was allegedly identified online as Jonathan 'Jonny' Roberts from Bradford, Yorkshire. In a Facebook post featuring several pictures of Roberts walking through the town, a witness alleged, as per the Daily Mail: This man grabbed a seagull out the air and punched it to death then booted it.

Happened in a busy street by the harbour in front of about 30 people including children. My two-year-old is scarred.

[Netizens described the mans alleged action as absolutely horrifying]

Netizens described the mans alleged action as absolutely horrifying(Image: Getty Images)

Absolutely disgusting to see. Devon and Cornwall Police are now appealing for information about the reported incident.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said: We are appealing for witnesses and footage following a report of a seagull being attacked in St Ives. Devon & Cornwall Police received a third hand report about the incident which is said to have taken place on the seafront on the afternoon of Wednesday 10 June.

Social media posts stated that a man punched and beat a seagull. Despite posts being widely shared online, the matter was not reported to us by anyone present at the scene.

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