A BROKEN Hill man has been arrested following videos shared online of him allegedly abusing native and farm animals.
The videos and images are graphic and were originally shared on a local community page before being widely distributed across the country.
In one video, the young man can be seen kicking baby goats, punching and attacking kangaroos, and running over a kangaroo’s head while it was still alive and conscious.
The graphic nature of the videos caused them to go viral, gain national attention, and resulted in the man being arrested and his house searched.
On Wednesday, April 2, New South Wales Police released a statement confirming the man had been charged after an investigation into alleged animal cruelty offences had occurred.
The man was arrested and has been given a notice to attend the Broken Hill Local Court on Tuesday, May 13.
He has been charged with five counts of torturing, beating and causing prolonged suffering to an animal.
Ash McInnes from the Broken Hill Snake Catchers was one of the first people to see the videos posted online, quickly saving them for evidence and reporting to the police.
“Someone posted it on one of the Broken Hill community groups, so I took all the footage off of that before it could be taken down, which it was,” he said.
“We weren’t the only ones that spoke to the police about it, and I don’t think we were the first.
“I know the RSPCA has a case on it as well.”
“I just saw the footage and thought that’s shocking, like the whole country made a big deal about some lady picking up a wombat, so I thought if people care about wombats and they care about wildlife this is a fair bit more severe than picking up a wombat and stressing out the mother,” Mr McInnes said.
“I think it’s really captured like the whole country.”
