A Portsmouth man has been convicted of killing a sparrowhawk in his back garden.
Yovanis Cruz, 48, of Copsey Grove, Drayton, admitted one charge of killing a wild bird when he appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court.
This is an offence under section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is an unlimited fine and/or 26 weeks' custody.
Prosecutor Lucy Linington described how the racing pigeon enthusiast had seen the raptor attacking one of his birds in the back garden. Cruz killed the sparrowhawk by firing a metal ball bearing at its head with a catapult.
"The neighbour had a Hive security camera in his back garden and during the recording he becomes aware of the defendant raking something over in his back garden.
"After looking back at the video it shows the defendant catapulting a ball bearing into the skull of the sparrowhawk and killing it."
Cruz fired a second shot into the twitching body of the sparrowhawk as it lay on the ground in his neighbour's garden.
RSPB senior investigator Guy Shorrock told the court the sparrowhawk was killed instantly. "The first shot was fatal," he said.
"Between 80 and 100 raptor birds of prey are killed every year. The problem is widespread around the UK."
District Judge Gary Lucie, sentencing, said: 'It was clearly an intentional offence. You did not act with any mercy especially as your pigeon escaped unhurt.
"You could have scared off the sparrowhawk so it would have flown off. Instead you carefully approached it and hit it with a single shot. It was a misguided view you could deal with it after it attacked one of your pigeons."
Cruz was fined £653, ordered to pay £85 towards prosecution costs and £65 victim surcharge.
Speaking outside court after the hearing, Cruz told journalists that the sparrowhawk had already killed 25 of his pigeons.
He said it kept returning to his garden because it knew there was prey.
"The sparrowhawk was stabbing my pigeon with its teeth. It was gruesome to see my pet pigeon being eaten alive.
"Unfortunately on this occasion I used a catapult as a weapon on the sparrowhawk."
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