Imelda Marie Doig sentenced at Yeppoon for animal cruelty

A young Qld mum kicked and punched a defenceless dog before going after a terrified triple-0 caller who was forced to run to a house and lock her out. It didn’t end there. *Distressing

Imelda Marie Doig.

Yeppoon’s Imelda Marie Doig lost her cool and kicked a defenceless dog “quite hard, multiple times” – but that was just the start of her angry rage.

She yelled: “This f***ing dog, it’s the dog’s fault.”

The “stressed” animal, which was similar to a cattle dog, tried to get away.

But Doig followed it and cornered it up against a vehicle.

She then threw “a string of punches” at the dog which again tried to escape.

Doig again followed it and proceeded to kick it “multiple times.”

Two women who witnessed the events at Yeppoon approached Doig in a bid to calm her down and defuse the situation, but Doig punched one of them in the face, saying: “You can f*** off too.”

One of the witnesses retreated to her home and before going inside, with one of two mobile phones, she called triple-0.

But Doig had followed her and grabbed the other phone off a step and threw it down the road about three times, severely smashing it and rendering it inoperable.

The woman took refuge inside her home behind a locked front screen door.

Doig then grabbed the door handle, bashed on the screen door with both hands and yelled: “You f***ing dogs, I’ll f***ing kill youse (sic).”

Imelda Marie Doig yelled: “You f***ing dogs, I’ll f***ing kill youse (sic).”

Police attended and while detaining Doig, she obstructed them and tried to run off.

An officer grabbed her hand in a bid to restrain her and Doig bit that police officer on the hand, “applying pressure with her jaw”.

Doig, 21, accepted those facts about the October 2023 incident in Yeppoon Magistrates Court where she pleaded guilty to 13 charges including animal cruelty, assault, wilful damage, public nuisance, obstructing and assaulting police.

The court heard Doig had a “minimal” criminal history which contained predominantly dishonesty offences.

Police prosecutor Corey O’Connor submitted Doig had substance abuse and mental health issues, and a lengthy period of probation would be appropriate.

In relation to the animal cruelty offence, Mr O’Connor said that attack was “prolonged and vicious” and he submitted a suspended sentence may be appropriate.

Prior to hearing from Doig’s solicitor, Magistrate Cameron Press asked whose dog it was and Doig herself replied: “It’s my mother’s dog.”

Doig told Mr Press that her mother currently had the dog, and it was healthy.

The solicitor tendered medical documents for Doig and said her client was prescribed medicinal cannabis for her mental health.

She said Doig was a mother of two young children who suffered from PTSD, depression, anxiety and a cognitive impairment due to a brain injury suffered from an assault.

“She instructs that in December last year, Your Honour, she obtained a mental health plan and has been prioritising her mental health since this (incident) occurred,” the solicitor said.

“She instructs she’s seeing a counsellor … weekly.”

Yeppoon Courthouse.

The solicitor said Doig was currently receiving Centrelink benefits and doing work experience with a cleaning business.

“She’s incredibly remorseful for her actions (the offending) and her behaviour – she had suffered an anxiety attack on the day.

“And she accepts that her behaviour was completely inappropriate on this day in particular.

“Outside of breaches of bail, there have been no further offences of a like nature since the original offences occurred back in October.”

During sentencing, Magistrate Press said Doig’s behaviour (the offending) was “simply unacceptable”.

In relation to the attack on the dog, Mr Press said: “What is concerning, of course, is that you were cruel to an animal … that cannot and probably didn’t want to fight back.

“You kicked the dog, you punched the dog, and then you cornered it, and you kicked it again.

“It is behaviour that I do hope you appreciate, is simply not acceptable – human beings have a responsibility towards animals.”

For the animal cruelty offence, Mr Press sentenced Doig to three months’ jail, wholly suspended for an operational period of 10 months.

For the other offences, he placed her on 18 months’ probation and ordered she pay $1248 compensation for the damaged phone, and $250 compensation to the assaulted police officer.

A conviction was recorded for the animal cruelty offence, but not for any of the other charges.