WATCH: Dramatic CCTV after pub raid on illegal bird trade

CCTV footage shows dozens of police from the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit and RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit raid a pub crack down on the sale of the birds which were caught illegally.

The raids at a number of pubs lead to 17 men being convicted for their involvement in the wild bird trade was sentenced this week, following a two-year investigation by the RSPCA.

RSPCA and Met Police officers carried out the raids across a number of properties on 2 February 2019, including one at a pub in Leytonstone, East London.

Seventeen men from Essex, London, Kent, County Durham, Hertfordshire and West Yorkshire have now appeared in court and been convicted and sentenced for offences in connection with the possession of wild birds.

The officers also searched three homes on the same day, finding multiple illegally-captured and kept wild birds including a collection of almost 200 wild birds at one Southend man’s homed.

More than 270 birds were seized from the four separate warrants, one of the biggest ever seizures of captive wild birds in the UK.

An RSPCA officer who led the investigation, who cannot be named for operational reasons, said: “When we went into the pub on 2 February 2019 we found a large group of men had congregated inside and outside in the beer garden, many carrying small bird cages. We discovered 40 cages of wild birds including goldfinches, linnets and a siskin, as well as 27 canaries and mules (or crossbred birds).

“We also executed warrants at three private addresses where we found a number of wild birds being kept illegally. At one home, we discovered 190 wild birds being kept in cages, including 165 goldfinches.”

Dramatic - The police storming the pub

The final man in the investigation - Adnan Icel, 56, of Southchurch Road, Southend was sentenced on Monday after being found with six goldfinches in his possession at the pub. During the raid at his home address, officers found 190 wild birds being kept illegally.

His trial was part-heard in 2020 and concluded in February 2021; he was convicted on 19 July 2021 of six offences under the Animal Welfare Act and Wildlife & Countryside Act.

On Monday he was sentenced to six months in prison - suspended for two years - and disqualified from keeping all birds for life. He was also ordered to pay £28,000 in costs.

Other prosecutions include: Eight men - three from London, two from Essex, one from Kent, one from County Durham and one from West Yorkshire - were given fines after pleading guilty to offences of illegally possessing wild birds at a hearing at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 11 October 2019.

A ninth man, from London, pleaded guilty to two offences and was dealt with at a later date and also received a fine. A tenth man, also from London, pleaded guilty to one offence of possessing a goldfinch and was sentenced, on 20 March 2020, to a £150 fine, £150 costs and a victim surcharge.

Cruel - Captive birds at Icel's home

An eleventh man, from Essex, entered guilty pleas to five offences - under the Animal Welfare Act, Wildlife & Countryside Act, and Pest Act - on the first day of his trial in February 2021. At his home address two goldfinches were discovered and officers found two spring traps set illegally, one which had caught and killed a thrush. At the pub, he was found to be in possession of one wild bird. CCTV footage from the pub showed him throwing a box with a bird contained inside under the table as officers raided.

He was sentenced to a 10-week jail term, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay £2,000 in costs, £400 fine and £115 victim surcharge. He was also disqualified from keeping birds for life.

On 20 March 2020, a twelfth man - from Hertfordshire - pleaded guilty to one offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. He was ordered to pay a £75 fine, £150 costs and a £30 victim surcharge. A thirteenth man, also from Essex, changed his plea to guilty at the same hearing and was also ordered to pay a £150 fine, costs of £150 and a £30 victim surcharge.

Raid - Birds at home of Icel

In February 2021, three men, who had pleaded not guilty to offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, were convicted after trial. The first, from North London, and a second, from north-west London, both stood trial at Thames Magistrates’ Court where they were convicted of one offence each of possessing a goldfinch. The North London man had been seen in the pub CCTV throwing his cage onto the roof to try to disassociate himself from the wild bird he had contained illegally inside. Both men were ordered by the court to each pay a £150 fine, £250 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Following a two-day trial, the third man, from Essex, was convicted of one Animal Welfare Act offence relating to 12 goldfinches and one bullfinch. The 13 wild birds were found being kept illegally at his home and he was issued with warning notices to improve conditions for a number of other birds - including parrots and canaries. He was disqualified from keeping birds for two years (suspended for seven days so he could rehome the birds he had). He was fined £910 and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs and a £91 victim surcharge.

Investigation - a bird at property of Icel

RSPCA SOU chief inspector Will Mitchell added: “The illegal trapping and trading in wild birds has long been a problem. Taking a wild bird from its natural habitat and shutting it in a tiny cage is cruel. These birds can suffer immeasurably, not only physically but also mentally, and they often die shortly after being captured.”

Detective Constable Tara Wilson of the Met’s Wildlife Crime Unit said: “This was a lengthy, proactive joint investigation between the Met’s Wildlife Crime Unit and the RSPCA, which resulted in the largest ever seizure of wild captive British birds. I would like to pay tribute to the dedication and hard work of many units and colleagues throughout the Met that worked on this case."