Kerry and Clive Faggoter’s Fish Haven animal abuse trial delayed

Just days before a court was to determine if they are guilty of animal abuse, the owners of a pet shop have had their trial abandoned. Here’s why.

A pet shop owning couple about to face trial over a series of animal abuse charges will now not have their matter heard until months into next year.

Ill treatment of animals charges laid against Kerry and Clive Faggotter, laid in 2020, will now extend into a third year after Magistrate Brian Nitschke allowed an abandonment of the trial due to the poor health of Mrs Faggoter.

The pair’s matters were a last-minute addition to the Elizabeth Magistrates Court list on Tuesday, exactly a week before their trial was to start.

Michael Lloyd, for the couple, told the court Mrs Faggoter had taken ill, with an infected leg seeing her in and out of hospital in the lead-up to the previously scheduled trial.

“She had, three weeks ago, surgery because of an ongoing infection in her leg,” Mr Lloyd said.

Kerry and Clive Faggotter, the owners of Fish Haven at Para Hills. Picture: Facebook

Kerry Faggotter with her Lykoi, Wolverine at the Royal Adelaide Show in 2019. Picture: Matt Loxton

The application was not opposed by the RSPCA and Mr Nitschke listed the trial to instead go ahead in March next year, six months after it was originally scheduled.

The Middle Beach couple failed to appear in the same court in December 2020 and the matter has slowly moved through the court since then.

Court documents viewed by The Messenger showed the charges Mr and Mrs Faggotter related to three snakes, a bearded dragon and a rat – animals kept at the Para Hills store.

The RSPCA alleged a Moriela jungle jag python was not cared for correctly, suffered a respiratory disease and was found with mites and faeces near its eyes.

The documents also showed Mr and Mrs Faggoter allegedly ill-treated two other snakes, a jungle python and an albino carpet python.

Two more animals, a rat and an inland bearded dragon, which both had to be euthanised, were part of ill-treatment allegations from the RSPCA.

Mrs Faggotter ran as a Liberal candidate for the state government Playford in 2010, but was heavily defeated by longtime Labor MP Jack Snelling.

Mr Lloyd represented the couple at their last court date in May, and they later entered pleas of not guilty to the charges.

Last month a video discussing the pet shop, self-dubbed “Australia’s largest aquarium and reptile centre”, went viral with the creator also arranging a protest to be held on Saturday.

The organiser, Crystal, who chose not to use her surname, said the protest was scheduled to go ahead as planned, but a large march through Adelaide in support of Iran protests had overtaken her protest.