Josh Coles, 27, pictured, has been banned from keeping fish for five years after being filmed swallowing a goldfish at Bridgwater Carnival in Somerset last year
A 'class clown' who swallowed a goldfish he won at a funfair as a drunken prank has been banned from keeping fish for five years.
Josh Coles was filmed eating the traditional pet on Snapchat, 'washing it down' with half a pint of beer.
The 27-year-old was filmed by his girlfriend after winning the goldfish at Bridgwater Carnival in Somerset, one of Britain's oldest funfairs.
Coles, of Tiverton, Devon, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal at Exeter Magistrates' Court and was also handed a 12-month community order.
Under UK law, a protected animal is one that is commonly domesticated or under human control on a permanent or temporary basis.
Coles was caught after the video was widely shared online and came to the attention of the RSPCA.
RSPCA prosecutor Lindi Meyer showed the court the video, which was posted online with the title 'He ate my fish'.
The court heard Coles told RSPCA investigators it was 'just a stunt for social media'.
He also said he was 'amused and bemused' by the investigation, adding it was 'only a goldfish'.
Vet expert David Martin said the goldfish was still alive when it was swallowed and would have sustained burns to its scales from the 'acidic environment' before dying of oxygen deprivation.
Miss Meyer said tree surgeon Coles was egged on by two other people who laughed as he carried out the act.
She said: 'He caused the death of the animal. There was never any other outcome from his actions.'
She said he had been drinking alcohol and showed any remorse and had been amused and bemused by the RSPCA inquiry and he valued the fish in a 'trivial nature'.
Coles was filmed eating the fish on Snapchat in a video called 'He ate my fish'. He first displayed the fish in his hand, left, before swallowing it alive, right
A probation officer said Coles, who works as a tree surgeon, was 'a class clown' who showed off in front of people.
She added he was 'embarrassed and ashamed' by what he had done.
Solicitor Jeremy Tricks, defending, said Coles suffers with ADHD and depression and anxiety.
He said: 'He has very poor decision making skills. It was an idiotic and stupid mistake but there is no malice in him.'
Magistrate chairperson Judith Killen sentenced Coles to a 12 month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and five days of rehabiliation.
Coles, a tree surgeon, then washed down the fish with half a pint of beer, pictured
He was also ordered to pay £300 with £85 victim surcharge and given a five-year ban from keeping fish.
The JPs took into account his immaturity and ADHD.
Ms Killen said: 'It was a gratuitous act which caused the death of a goldfish. It was an isolated incident.'
After the case RSPCA Inspector John Pollock said: 'We are asked why prosecute for a goldfish but they feel pain and have a spine.
'We will deal with it whether it is a large or small creature that has suffered.
'This is the first time in my 30 year career that I have had a prosecution like this but there have been ones in the past when there was the Neknominate craze.
'The expert veterinary evidence is that the goldfish would have drowned in beer content and his stomach acids.
'If a goldfish was put in a glass of acid then people would be jumping up and down about it and ringing us up.
'This goldfish would have suffered a great deal. It would have dissolved alive in the stomach acids.
'This goldfish was a prize at a fair. We are very much against live animal prizes and some councils have outlawed them.
'At the end of this fair we got lots of calls about being goldfish being dumped on the ground.
'They get easily stressed, even with the acoustics of being thrown about in a plastic bag that they come in.'
Exeter Magistrates' Court heard Coles, pictured after swallowing the fish, likes to 'show off' and has been described as a 'class clown'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/23/class-clown-is-videoed-swallowing-a-live-goldfish/
Main photo article
Josh Coles, 27, pictured, has been banned from keeping fish for five years after being filmed swallowing a goldfish at Bridgwater Carnival in Somerset last year
A ‘class clown’ who swallowed a goldfish he won at a funfair as a drunken prank has been banned from keeping fish for...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/22/12/11321404-6838897-image-m-13_1553257711138.jpg
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