Overview
- Multiple bystanders posted that a man grabbed and repeatedly struck a seagull on the St Ives seafront after the bird took his food, with vivid eyewitness accounts circulating online.
- The incident has been widely shared on social media and users identified a man pictured as Jonathan 'Jonny' Roberts, but that identification has not been confirmed by police or led to any charges.
- Devon & Cornwall Police say the force received a third‑hand report and that nobody who was at the scene has made a formal report, so officers have publicly appealed for direct witnesses and any footage.
- Witnesses disagree on the gull’s fate: some described severe chest injuries and said the bird appeared to die, while others later reported it moving and then gone when checked.
- All UK gull species are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 so proof of intentional injury could lead to prosecution, and the case highlights how social media can drive public pressure while leaving open questions about direct evidence.