Freddie the seal was attacked by a dog near Hammersmith Bridge last weekend
The woman walking the dog that bit much-loved River Thames seal "Freddie Mercury" is a top lawyer, it has been revealed.
Often spotted bathing on the edge of the Thames by Londoners, Freddie used to brighten up people's day with his playful behaviour.
However, Freddie unfortunately suffered from serious injuries after the
attack close to Hammersmith Bridge which left vets with no option but to put the seal down on Monday.
As a result of the attack, Freddie the seal suffered from a broken bone, damage to his joints, nerves and ligaments, as well as a bite to his flippers.
Runa Bousquet, who witnessed the awful attack, told
The Chiswick Calendar: "“I was there when the dog started running towards the seal. To be honest, to be fair to the dog owner, they were a good 800 metres away."
“It raced so fast that nobody, I mean, I don’t think anybody else saw it coming."
She added: “It literally clamped its jaws onto the poor seal and didn’t let go”.
Yesterday it was revealed that the owner of the dog who attacked the seal is a top lawyer, who specialises in commercial law.
Richmond Police said: "We are investigating the death of a seal, named locally as Freddie, after it was injured by a dog on the River Thames near Hammersmith Bridge."
https://twitter.com/MPSRichmond/status/1374357177142497283
The lawyer immediately reported the incident to the police, who referred the matter to the RSPCA and are said to be taking no further action. There is no suggestion she committed any crime.
Fans of Freddie the seal have flocked to twitter to express their shock and sadness at his death.
One tweeted an image of the much-loved seal, saying: "RIP Freddie."
https://twitter.com/jjwrichardson/status/1374121972947427340
Another tweeted: "Absolutely gutted that Freddie Mercury the seal has been put down after being attacked by a dog yesterday at his recent home of the slip of St Paul's School in Barnes. He brightened up almost all of my daily walks these last few weeks, and made so many people so happy."
https://twitter.com/SoulfulScotsman/status/1374078177883086849
