A court in the United Kingdom (UK) fined a young man who swallowed a live goldfish at a fair. Additionally, the court banned him from owning a fish.
Alexander Mackey, a 21-year-old Plymouth resident admitted that he swallowed a goldfish at a local fair and caused the fish "unnecessary suffering."
In the video footage, Mackey is seen holding a small goldfish in his hand, putting it in his mouth and swallowing it whole, much to the delight of his friends.
One of Mackey's friends won the goldfish in a game at the Goose Fair held last October in Tavistock, Devon. A few days after the incident, one of Mackey's friends posted the video on Facebook, which resulted in a complaint to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), a charity group that operates in Wales and England that promotes animal welfare.
A veterinary report confirmed that the goldfish died in the man's stomach because of lack of oxygen. The vet's report also verified that the fish suffered a lot of unnecessary pain.
"The vet explained that the fish can be seen thrashing around in the video because it is distressed. The fish would have experienced trauma, too, being outside of water," said RSPCA representative Lindi Meyer.
Moreover, the court found that Mackey consumed about eight cans of lager before and after attending the fair. In the police interview, he also admitted that he was drunk and hardly felt the fish when he swallowed it.
According to Meyer, Mackey was aware of the video footage posted on Facebook. When asked if he thought what he did was acceptable, the young man said, "No."
"He said it did not cross his mind at the time and he would not have done it if he was sober and he was sorry," added Meyer.
On May 20, Mackey appeared before the Plymouth Magistrates' Court. He pleaded guilty and apologized.
The Plymouth Crown Court ordered Mackey to pay £752 or a little over $1,000 for the committed crime, and banned him from owning a fish in the next five years. The court also told him to control his drinking habit.
