Drunken women convicted of torturing singing parrot

Tracy Dixon (left) and Nicola Bradley (right) acted together in the attack

Two women have been convicted of torturing and killing an African grey parrot while they were drunk.

Nicola Bradley, 35, and Tracy Dixon, 47, both of Carlisle, doused Sparky in cleaning products and put her in a tumble drier before breaking her neck.

Carlisle Magistrates' Court heard how the bird's owner wept when he found what had happened.

The pair, who were found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering, were told they would face prison sentences.

The were released on bail and will be sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court on 22 August.

Sparky, who was owned by Paul Crooks, had been known to sing the National Anthem and the Coronation Street and Emmerdale theme tunes.

The court heard how Mr Crooks had given Bradley, of Welsh Road, and Dixon, of Warnell Drive, a lift to his house after the pair failed to hail a taxi following a drunken night out on 30 July last year.

As the women continued drinking with Mr Crooks out of the room, they sprayed Sparky with cleaning products and gloss paint.

The bird was also hit with a tea towel and put through a short tumble dryer cycle.

'Wet, black mess'

Mr Crooks told the court he returned to find feathers all over the floor and the women in the process of leaving.

He told magistrates Sparky was "just unrecognisable" and she "had gone from grey to a wet, black mess".

The women initially denied any knowledge but later told Mr Crooks what had been done to Sparky and he began crying.

But in police interview and then in court, Bradley and Dixon blamed each other for what had happened.

Mr Crooks, who worked in the Army, was given the African grey by a former partner after they split.

"She was a bit of a hit with all my Army colleagues," he told magistrates when talking about how he would have online calls with contacts across the world.

"When we had a chat she would start singing."

Magistrates found both women guilty and sent the case to Carlisle Crown Court for sentencing.

Lead magistrate Jennifer Wilkinson said there had been a "sustained attack" on the bird, concluding: "We are satisfied behind reasonable doubt that both defendants have acted together and are jointly responsible for causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, namely Sparky the parrot."