Trucker, 52, stormed out of her houseboat and throttled neighbour’s cockerel in a fit of rage

• Caroline Smith, 52, seized the cockerel before throwing it to the floor
• The bird, named Eddie, suffered a ‘traumatic brain injury’ as a result of the ordeal

A trucker who throttled a neighbour’s cockerel in a fit of rage after the bird kept waking her up has claimed its ‘incessant’ 3am crowing left her so exhausted she almost lost her job.

Caroline Smith, 52, became so frustrated about the bird’s crowing she stormed out of the houseboat she shares with her husband and seized the Araucana laying cockerel, named Eddie, around the neck before throwing it to the floor.

She was seen stood over the bird on a stretch of the Leeds and Liverpool canal in Adlington, in Lancashire, whilst shouting: ‘I’m sick of it – but I’ve sorted it.’ 

The haulage driver claimed she suffered six months of sleepless nights due to its squawking which almost lost her her job. 

Eddie was rushed to a vet’s surgery where a report showed the bird had suffered a ‘traumatic brain injury’ as a result of an extended period of asphyxiation.

Wigan magistrates court heard that the cockerel had recovered within a week, but Mrs Smith claims her husband heard it crowing just two days later. 

It emerged she had previously complained to Eddie’s owner about the crowing but attempts to rehome the bird had failed. 

When interviewed by RSPCA officers Smith said: ‘My husband did say if that bird did not stop crowing, he would take matters into his own hands. I have suffered six months of sleeplessness because of this.’

Mrs Smith is now living on another boat moored at Houghton, Preston, after she claimed she her and her husband were evicted from their boat in Adlington.

She admitted causing unnecessary suffering at Wigan magistrates court and was also banned from owning birds for four years.

Anne McDonald, prosecuting for the RSPCA said, ‘The bird in question is an Araucana laying cockerel named Eddie. 

‘Eddie was owned by Justine Carroll, a neighbour of the defendant. Justine was known to breed birds, and Eddie was hatched in June 2022.

‘At first Eddie was thought to be a hen but soon after hatching the neighbours heard it crowing, which confirmed it was a cockerel. 

‘Its seems this crowing became incessant and occurred throughout the night. The defendant and her husband spoke to Justine about the bird crowing in the morning and in response, Justine said that she would re-home Eddie.

‘The defendant and her husband then went away on holiday and returned on the 8th of September while Justine herself also went away with a view to not returning until September 19.

‘On the morning of the 9th of September, Sarah Talbot, a fellow canal boat neighbour and friend of Justine, was woken up early by the sound of an argument outside her boat. 

‘She saw the defendant talking to a man who also looked after the bird, and the defendant was shouting at him about the bird crowing. 

‘The defendant was visibly angry and finished the argument by saying that she would “sort out the bird herself”.

Ms McDonald added: ‘The next morning, Ms Talbot discovered Eddie lying motionless on the floor, with the defendant standing near it. 

‘The defendant said that she had dealt with the matter and that she was sick of it.  She noticed that Eddie was unsteady when he got up.’

Ms McDonald said that another neighbour wrapped Eddie in a blanket and placed him in a cardboard box to keep him warm. 

‘He was taken to a vet surgery on September 11 where the vet’s report showed that he had suffered a traumatic brain injury from an extended period of asphyxiation. However, despite this, Eddie had recovered within a week.

Mrs Smith told the RSPCA that she had come from a farming family and had kept chickens for 30 years. She said she had also worked in a pet shop and owns a 10-year old cat. 

Ms McDonald told the court: ‘She said there was an agreement about re-homing the bird, but that this was not acted upon when she got back. 

‘She said, the bird was still crowing in the early hours of the morning, so I took it from my neighbour’s boat and threw the bird down as it started panting. She denied harming the bird but admitted that she was angry at the time.’

Representing herself, Mrs Smith said, ‘On the morning of the 10th of September I had once again been woken up at half three by the cockerel. 

‘This occurred on a regular basis. I had been trying to resolve it for many months and had suffered sleep deprivation because of it. This sleep deprivation almost cost me my job as a long distance lorry driver.

‘Justine and Ms Talbot are close friends, and they promised me that it would be dealt with while my husband and I were away on holiday for three weeks.. 

‘But when we came back, it was obvious that nothing had been down about the problem. They knew full well that cockerels were not allowed on these moorings. 

‘You can keep laying hens, but cocks, no. I had had enough, I was at my wits end and got very, very angry. I will admit that.’

‘I went to Sarah Talbot to try and sort it out as Justine was not due to come back from holiday for another 8/9 days.’

Mrs Smith said she knocked on Ms Talbot’s door and when she did not receive a reply she went over to the bird enclosure to grab Eddie. 

When she caught him, she carried the bird back to Ms Talbot, who had now woken up as a result of the commotion. 

She said: ‘We had a big argument about the problem and I threw the bird down on their property. I then picked the bird up and took it to my mooring. 

‘At that point, Justine’s partner came out and started an argument with me as well. It was all over this blooming bird making all this noise.’

‘I did put the bird in the hospital hutch in my boat and offered it water, which it took. I tried to offer it food, but understandably it did not want any. 

‘It was still in shock but there were no signs to me that it was dying. If I wanted to, I could have killed it, I know how to kill animals humanely.

‘My family are farming people, and we have owned horses for years. That cockerel did not take a week to recover, it took two days.

‘In fact, my husband, Patrick, heard him crowing from the same boat two days late. The worst part is that my husband and I have now been evicted from our boat. I am very sorry that it came up that way.’

Mrs Smith added: ‘I am very sorry about the whole episode. I do not believe I caused the bird to have a brain injury because I saw it crowing only two days later in the roof of its hutch.

‘The whole 15 months from when these people moved next door to us caused us stress and upset. It has affected our lives in so many ways. I am sorry for the way it turned out. I didn’t want to harm it, I just wanted it removed.

‘I have been an animal lover all my life and have always supported animal charities. I grew up in a farming family and I help out my mother with her horses as she has arthritis. I love wildlife and I live in the middle of it.’

Mrs Smith was also ordered to complete a 12-month community order and 100 hours unpaid work and will have to pay a £114 surcharge.