CAIRNS POST (Australia) 30 November 07 What a croc! (Tyron Butson)
An angry RSPCA has slammed the penalty given to a man who yesterday admitted bashing to death a 1.8m croc in an incident that created national headlines.
Westcourt man Owen Pacellie Dorante, 23, was ordered to do 180 hours of community service and pay $500 after pleading guilty in Cairns Magistrates’ Court to repeatedly bashing the croc over the head with rocks.
Two boys also involved in the killing have been ordered to appear at a youth justice conference.
RSPCA Queensland senior inspector Michael Pecic last night told The Cairns Post the "extremely lenient" punishment given to Dorante would make people think they could get away with animal cruelty.
"Maiming or killing a protected animal … is disgusting and it’s questionable if the penalty was severe enough for this sort of action," he said.
"It’s extremely lenient and it sends out the wrong sort of message to people.
"It’s not right to kill or maim an animal and people will get the wrong sort of message from this, that’s it’s okay."
Dorante pleaded guilty to three charges of animal cruelty, restriction of keeping or using a protected animal and disturbing a native animal in the wild.
The court heard how on October 28, Dorante helped the two boys pull the croc from from a Westcourt drain after they hooked it using a piece of meat attached to a rope.
Police Prosecutor Constable Michelle Rizal told how they dragged the croc on to a nature strip and Durante repeatedly hit it on the head with rocks, while the two boys took turns to beat it with a metal bar.
She said the crocodile’s jaw was broken by one of the blows.
The croc was then dragged back into the creek where it died a short time later.
Dorante’s defence solicitor Kate Power said the attack was out of character.
"He simply does not know why he was led by some juveniles," she said.
"It’s out of character… he simply went along with them."
Magistrate Suzette Coates said she had taken the accused’s early guilty plea and his obvious remorse into account during her sentencing. But she labelled his actions foolish.
"It was a complete error of judgment on your part," she told the court.
"That you involved yourself with two young boys involved in this transaction with a crocodile was very foolish."
Speaking outside court, an obviously shaken Dorante told The Cairns Post he was remorseful for his actions.
"I’m very sorry," he said.
"The two boys asked for help, it’s not something I would have normally involved myself with. I deserve it (the punishment)."
What a croc!