Birds caught by glue man

Birds caught by glue man

The birds were in a poor condition

A man used glue to trap birds so he could keep them in his house, a court heard.

RSPCA inspectors found poorly goldfinches at the home of Peter Luke Smith, in Edgely Drain Road, Peterborough.

Smith was sentenced by Peterborough magistrates on Tuesday to 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay £500 costs.

Tim Devas, defending, said Smith kept the birds for his own amusement and not for selling on for a profit.

Smith kept the birds at his house

Mr Devas said there was a question as to whether it was morally wrong to catch the birds or just against local laws.

But RSPCA inspector Tony Hollis said: "The law is there for a reason and I think it's to keep the wild bird population up to what it should be.

"If people want birds, they should buy them from pet shops."

Michael Taylor, prosecuting, said the captured birds found in Smith's house had been left with no fat reserves and two of them have died.

The other goldfinches have been released into the wild.

Mr Hollis told BBC Look East: "I am pleased that this sends out a clear message to those people intent on catching wild birds; it is illegal and we will prosecute."

Smith had been found guilty at an earlier hearing to several charges under the Wild Animals Act relating to trapping birds.