Vile rich kid, 18, set to swap ritzy enclave for PRISON after he admitted repeatedly kicking terrified sea lion that tried to get away from him

An 18-year-old from the wealthy San Diego suburb of La Jolla, California, has pleaded guilty in federal court to repeatedly kicking a sea lion, an offence under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and now faces up to a year in prison. Tyler Muehl entered the plea agreement on Thursday after footage of the incident went viral, prompting condemnation from wildlife authorities who stressed that harming marine mammals is both illegal and dangerous to the animals involved.

The video, filmed on 22 June, showed Muehl adopting a boxing stance and kicking at the sea lion, which had been resting peacefully on a sea wall at La Jolla Cove around midnight, while friends laughed and one warned he might get bitten. He reportedly called himself "Max Holloway", after the real-life UFC fighter, as he approached the animal, which eventually fled over the wall to the beach. Muehl will be sentenced in October and could receive a fine of up to $100,000, in a neighbourhood where average household income is around $210,000.