Heartless ex-squaddie from Glasgow caught on CCTV strangling duck in London park

The cruel act was caught on CCTV and was carried out in broad daylight in front of shocked onlookers

A heartless ex-squaddie has been caught out by CCTV cameras throttling a duck in front of onlookers at a park in London.

49-year-old Robert Muir, originally from Glasgow, had been drinking all day with friends in the park, when one of them coaxed some ducks towards them by throwing bread.

Muir from North Sheen, west London, was caught on CCTV throttling the duck in front of horrified onlookers in broad daylight, before throwing the poor defenceless bird to the ground. The cameras then capture him going back and picking up the duck and strangling it once more, then he spits on his hands to try and clean them.

Heartless ex-squaddie from Glasgow caught on CCTV strangling a Mallard duck in London park © Copyright Oast House Archive and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

The incident occurred last May, as the group of friends drank together in Richmond Riverside, west London. The female Mallard flew towards the group with her male mate after being tempted by bread.

Muir claimed that the duck was suffering and it was a mercy killing but at an earlier hearing, he was convicted of slaughtering a wild bird contrary to the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

He was handed a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, made to do 20 sessions to help tackle his drink problem, pay £300 costs and ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge.

Detective Constable Sarah Bailey from the Met’s Wildlife and Crime Unit said: “Muir lured over a female Mallard duck with food in full view of members of the public.”

She hoped that the sentence handed to Muir would serve as a reminder to members of the public that wild birds are protected and cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.

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