A witness to an incident involving a dead duck and a group of boys has called for the end to the 'witch hunt'.

Last week The Guardian reported that a schoolboy had been seen kicking a duck to death in Roundhills, Waltham Abbey.

Once the mallard was dead, the boy was seen to launch its body into a nearby garden.

The apparently vicious attack caused ripples in the community, with many taking to social media to express their disgust at the boy's actions.

Logan Wall, a Waltham Abbey resident who witnessed the incident, has questioned the course of events and has come forward to set the record straight.

He said: "What the child has done is wrong and not the right way of doing it, but the duck was dead when he kicked it.

"Someone in a silver car ran the duck over. It was a silver Ford.

"These kids should not have done what they have done, but when a deer gets run over a farrier is called and they come and put it down. What they did was similar.

"It seems a bit of a witch hunt is going on and it should stop."

Did you witness the incident? Email milo.boyd@newsquest.co.uk