Samantha Lee Egan pleads guilty at Gympie Qld to killing dog, stealing car

A Qld court has heard the shocking and horrific details of how a 30-year-old disability pensioner killed her own pet, a gift from her father, while in the throes of a drug psychosis.

Samantha Lee Egan, 30 of Amamoor Creek, pleaded guilty to injuring an animal, two counts of stealing a vehicle, and obstructing police.

A move to Amamoor Creek, 25km outside Gympie, was intended to be a “tranquil” change for Samantha Lee Egan and her dog Onie.

Instead it became a horror show after the 30-year-old stole two of her neighbour’s vehicles and then shockingly struck her pet with a hammer and stabbed it to death in a “drug psychosis”.

The shocking details of Egan’s crimes was revealed in Gympie Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning, where the Amamoor Creek woman pleaded guilty to injuring an animal, two counts of stealing a vehicle, and obstructing police.

Police prosecutor Allison Johnston said Egan’s wild behaviour on June 29, 2024, started when she stole a 77-year-old woman’s car and drove it onto a jetty.

The jetty, not built to withstand the weight of the vehicle, collapsed and brought the car crashing down onto its concrete foundations.

Samantha Lee Egan, 30 of Amamoor Creek, pleaded guilty to injuring an animal, two counts of stealing a vehicle, and obstructing police.

Egan then stole the woman’s tractor, which was eventually returned undamaged.

The court heard the cost of repairing the jetty was more than $21,000.

Egan then killed her dog after it “became aggressive” towards her.

“It was hit over the head with a hammer and then stabbed to death,” Sgt Johnston said, adding Egan referred in the facts to “sacrificing it”.

Egan, representing herself, told the court she had moved to Amamoor Creek from New South Wales to escape domestic violence.

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A local had offered her a try of their own medicinal marijuana to help her deal with anxiety and social withdrawal, saying it had done “wondrous things” for her life.

She then started using it regularly along with other medications, leading to the “drug psychosis” and her to “act like I wasn’t myself”.

Egan told the court she now had to live with what she did to Onie, who had been a gift from her father and she had owned since the dog was a pup.

“I live every day knowing that I’m never going to see my best friend again,” Egan told the court through tears.

Egan was ordered to pay $5000 in restitution, and sentenced to six months’ jail with the term wholly suspended.

She had written a letter of apology to her neighbour, who the court heard had been left feeling “unsafe” after Egan’s behaviour.

Magistrate Bevan Hughes said her actions towards her pet were “horrific”.

Mr Hughes said even if it had become aggressive, what she did “cannot ever be an appropriate response to animal I would describe as your companion and a member of your family”.

“I can only imagine the fear and pain you inflicted on the dog,” Mr Hushes said.

Mr Hughes offered Egan probation, but when the 30-year-old rejected it as an option saying she planned on moving back to New South Wales, he instead sentenced her to six months’ jail with the term wholly suspended.

He ordered Egan pay $5000 in restitution, noting any amount higher was unlikely to be recovered as the 30-year-old was unemployed and on a disability support pension.

Convictions were recorded.