Robert Kington: Ipswich ‘lover of animals’ fined for kicking dog

An Ipswich government worker who calls himself a “lover of animals” has been fined for kicking a dog while in a state of fury, causing it to run away.

A self-proclaimed “lover of animals” has appeared in an Ipswich court after he became “overwhelmed with emotion” and kicked a dog twice.

Robert Kington, 33, faced Ipswich Magistrates Court on Tuesday, March 29 where he pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty prohibited.

The court heard Kington, a father of one, was mowing the lawn at a Rosewood address one day in December last year when he found several hundred dollars’ worth of fish he owned had suddenly died.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Nanette Green said that in Kington’s state of fury he yelled ‘what the f**k is this?’ and kicked a nearby dog two times before it ran off down the road.

Snr Cnst Green noted the man had a limited criminal history.

Defence lawyer Jack Volkers said his client’s behaviour was “out of character” and resulted from the “overwhelming” amount of emotion he felt after discovering his fish had died.

“He regrets what he did on that day. He’s very ashamed of his behaviour,” Mr Volkers said.

“He considers himself otherwise to be a family man and a lover of animals …”

Mr Volkers told the court Kington was a contributing member of society who worked as a tradesman for Queensland Health.

At the time of his court appearance, he had been in full-time employment for 16 years and was the father of an eight-month-old child.

Mr Volkers said Kington deeply regretted his actions, but also argued the animal cruelty charge was “quite low level”.

The court heard the dog did not suffer any serious injuries as a result of the offending.

Magistrate David Shepherd said that while the behaviour was a “fleeting” example of a person acting out of character, it was not acceptable.

“We are a civilised society. We are meant to be able to control emotions,” Mr Shepherd said.

“To explode in that way because of the loss of some fish might suggest that there are deeper issues that you might need to think about.”

Mr Shepherd noted Kington was employed and willing and able to pay a fine.

He took into account the Ipswich father’s limited criminal history, his plea of guilty, and his age when deciding an appropriate penalty.

Kington was fined $1000 and a conviction was not recorded.