A 21-year-old woman pled guilty in the Port Pirie Magistrates Court on animal ill-treatment under the SA Animal Welfare Act.
A 21-year-old woman from Port Pirie pled guilty yesterday in the Port Pirie Magistrates Court on one count of animal ill-treatment under the SA Animal Welfare Act.
The woman was charged with failure to provide adequate living conditions and drinking water to her two cats, aged one and seven.
An RSPCA South Australia inspector first attended the defendant’s property on 10 January 2024 in response to a cruelty report concerning the cats’ outdoor living conditions. The inspector provided education and advice to the defendant to improve the housing and assisted in moving the cats’ enclosure to a sheltered area.
The inspector returned to the property on 31 January 2024 to find the cats living in their urine and faeces, with no access to clean water. The cats were seized and transported to RSPCA South Australia’s animal care campus at O’Halloran Hill.
In the Port Pirie Magistrates yesterday, His Honour Magistrate Ben Sale sentenced the defendant to a 12-month good behaviour bond and prohibited the woman from owning any cats for a period of two years.
The Court exercised their discretion to not register a formal conviction due to the defendant’s remorse, lack of criminal history and that she pled guilty on her first appearance explaining that she was busy with her child and caring for a sick relative at the time of the offending.
Both cats were forfeited to RSPCA South Australia and will be available for adoption once they have undergone desexing.
Under SA’s Animal Welfare Act, the maximum penalty for animal cruelty is $20,000 or two years’ imprisonment. For an aggravated cruelty offence, the maximum penalty is $50,000 or four years’ imprisonment.
RSPCA South Australia is the state’s only animal welfare charity with inspectors empowered to prosecute animal cruelty under SA’s Animal Welfare Act.
Members of the public who witness animal cruelty or neglect are urged to immediately call RSPCA’s 24-hour cruelty report hotline on 1300 477 722.
