A man has been jailed after he stamped baby seagulls to death in front of a horrified neighbour.
Jay McIntosh was left splattered in blood after carrying out the “reprehensible” attack on the three-day-old chicks in Buckie.
The 22-year-old has appeared in court in connection with that violent outburst as well as another, which prompted an armed police response and a six-hour stand-off.
Elgin Sheriff Court heard how McIntosh was spotted shouting and swearing on Wallace Avenue in Buckie at about 8pm on June 17 this year.
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver said: “He was angry and frantically searching for his front teeth.”
A short time later a neighbour witnessed the attack on the defenceless birds.
“At this point she watched him stamp three times onto seagull chicks that were about three days old and lying on the ground,” the fiscal said.
“She ran out and confronted him and he stated ‘I don’t give a f***’.”
When police arrived they found two dead seagull chicks on the road. McIntosh, who was nearby, had blood on his white trainers and hands.
Ms Silver said: “He told police ‘I don’t give a damn… f*** those birds’ and ‘I stomped on those birds ha ha ha. I don’t give a f***’.”
The court also heard how McIntosh’s erratic behaviour had earlier led to a stand-off with armed police after he told paramedics he had a knife.
Huge police response
He called for an ambulance to attend to his suspected broken ankle at 5.30am on January 23 this year, the court heard, but things quickly escalated and police declared a “spontaneous firearms incident”.
A total of 29 police officers, including firearms officers and trained negotiators, as well as six paramedics, attended the six-hour stand-off while McIntosh hurled abuse at officers.
McIntosh has previously been denied an ambulance for his ankle but paramedics turned up after he threatened to harm himself.
On arrival, he told them from behind his locked front door: “That better not be the f****** police.”
When told it was paramedics, he replied: “Well, I am coming to the door with a knife anyway.”
The paramedics retreated and police sealed off roads and told neighbours to stay indoors for their own safety.
Neighbours left terrified
“One neighbour was awoken by the incident and was shocked and worried to see police vehicles around her property,” Ms Silver said.
“Another was awoken by police activity and watched the incident unfold from her home as the accused shouted while armed officers tried to engage with him.”
McIntosh hurled racist abuse at one officer and threatened to break another’s jaw when he briefly appeared at the window.
“He stated he was not in possession of a weapon and he had called the ambulance service back to apologise,” the fiscal added.
“In total 10 firearms officers, four trained negotiators, 14 public order officers and one tactical firearms commander attended as well as six paramedics.”
The siege finally came to an end around 11.25am.
“After a long period of negotiations, entry was forced by trained officers,” the fiscal added. “They continued to engage with the accused from behind shields.
“It’s clear the incident had a profound effect on the community and local residents.”
Earlier jailed for throat-slash threats
McIntosh appeared from prison at HMP Inverness via video link.
He pled guilty to three counts of threatening or abusive behaviour, two of theft, one assault to injury, one assault, a failure to comply with a breath test and one charge of killing the seagulls.
McIntosh was handed a 12-month jail sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court last week after he admitted to spitting at police officers and threatening to slash the throats of an officer’s family.
Now he’s been handed a further 15 months for the latest offending.
Baby bird attack was ‘reprehensible’
Defence agent Stephen Carty said all of McIntosh’s offending had involved the use of alcohol or drugs and that he’d initially failed to understand the “gravity of the situation” with regards to the siege.
“In the cold light of day, of course, he perceives the gravity of that,” he said. “At the time he didn’t realise how many officers were involved or the scale of the operation.
“It’s a matter of great regret to him.”
He added that with regards to the deaths of the birds, it was “reprehensible behaviour”.
“Again, alcohol and drugs were the significant issues here. In the cold light of day he realises his actions were entirely unacceptable,” the solicitor said.
Sheriff Peter Grant-Hutchison jailed McIntosh, formerly of Wallace Avenue, Buckie, for 15 months.
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