A 47-year-old Leonora woman has today been sentenced to a 15-month immediate imprisonment term for the brutal beating of a dog. She was also permanently prohibited from being in charge of an animal.
Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court heard the prolonged attack, which took place on New Year’s Day in 2022 near the Leonora Post Office on Tower Street, was captured on CCTV.
The vision shows a woman walking with a young child and a Jack Russell crossbreed, later identified as the offender’s dog, Buster.
The offender can be seen swinging Buster by his front legs into a brick wall multiple times. She then punches him with a closed fist and kicks him in the stomach before walking along swinging him by one leg, throwing him onto the ground, and stomping on him.
Various CCTV footage captures around two minutes of attacks of this nature on Buster.
A local police officer identified the woman in the footage as the offender. An RSPCA WA inspector then attended the woman’s home where she saw that Buster was having trouble walking.
The offender denied being in Leonora on the day of the attack and said Buster was limping because he’d been hit by a car three years earlier.
The RSPCA WA inspector took the dog to a local vet who found Buster was experiencing pain and had significant injuries to the point his leg had to be amputated.
Despite significant efforts at rehabilitation, Buster was humanely euthanised in May 2022.
In sentencing, Magistrate Janie Gibbs said the offender was not remorseful for her actions but “regretful for the position [she] found [herself] in”.
“[To] describe the footage as confronting is an understatement,” she said.
“[She was] willing to be so incredibly violent to such a small, defenceless animal in broad daylight.”
Magistrate Gibbs stated that the offending was “significantly aggravated that [her] child was present and watch what [she] did to Buster”.
RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green said the CCTV vision was some of the most confronting she’s seen in her career.
“This was a cruel, deliberate, prolonged attack on a small dog,” she said.
“Buster would have been suffering physical pain and emotional trauma through the whole ordeal.
“Quite frankly, a betrayal of trust that brutal can only be described as disgusting and the fact the offender committed this attack in front of a child is incomprehensible.
“RSPCA WA is pleased the immediate prison sentence reflects the serious nature of the offending.”
The offender was convicted under sections 19(1) and 19 (2)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. She was found to have been cruel to an animal in that she ill-treated Buster.
The offender, having already spent four months in prison, will serve another three and a half months before being eligible for parole.
RSPCA WA thanks Zoe Gilders of ZG Criminal Law for her assistance in this matter.
The maximum penalty for an animal cruelty charge is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.
The RSPCA relies on the community to report incidents of suspected cruelty and neglect. Report cruelty 24/7 on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or at rspcawa.org.au.
