Geelong named animal cruelty hotspot, offenders revealed

Geelong has been named Victoria’s animal cruelty hotspot for the second year running. SEE THE LIST OF OFFENDERS

Olivia Shying and Naomi Neilson

3 min read

December 6, 2022 - 2:34PM

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Geelong has been named Victoria’s animal cruelty hotspot for the second year running, with alarming new data revealing the extent of offending.

The RSPCA data reveals 552 animal cruelty reports were made in the Greater Geelong local government area last financial year, with a further 640 reports made in the 2020-21 financial year.

Offenders including Kon and Liudmila Petropoulos, Jake Kniese, Karen Smithyman and Leigh Mitchell have fronted court over the past 12 months in relation to animal cruelty offences.

Casey City Council recorded the second highest number of cruelty reports (531), followed by Wyndham City Council (379) and Hume City Council (364)

Across the state, RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate responded to 10,577 cruelty reports, with neglect the basis for almost half (46 per cent), meaning members of the community had reported knowledge of animals subjected to lack of food, water, shelter or veterinary care. Other types of neglect included poor husbandry, lack of appropriate hygiene and insufficient grooming, shearing and farriery for horses.

Welfare concerns for dogs, cats and horses continued to make up the majority of the reports, with 6,846 reports involving dogs and puppies; 1922 reports involving cats and kittens

and 1070 reports involving horses.

In 2021-22, RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate issued 287 notices to comply, finalised 74 prosecutions, resulting in 68 guilty findings and 46 disqualification orders.

RSPCA Victoria Chief Inspector Michael Stagg said raising awareness of the most prevalent types of animal cruelty was key to curbing this behaviour.

“For many, the perception of animal cruelty relates to deliberate acts such as beating or wounding, and while this does occur, the data consistently shows the most common form of cruelty is neglect,” Insp Stagg said.

“There are many responsible pet ownership resources available, and we encourage anyone who is the owner or person in charge of animals to be aware of their responsibilities to provide care, or alternatively to seek help from their local council, a veterinarian or animal welfare organisation.”

Insp Stagg said high levels of animal adoptions recorded during the pandemic, combined with the rising cost of living had impacted the ability of owners to care for their pets.

“It is important all pet owners understand the specific needs of their pets in terms of food, water, shelter, grooming and exercise,” he said.

“If you are the owner or person in charge of an animal you have legal and moral obligations to that animal. RSPCA Victoria is committed to helping people better care for their pets however neglect is against the law and is never acceptable therefore we will hold people to account if they do not meet the required standards of care.”

KON AND LIUDMILA PETROPOULOS

Kon Petropoulos and his wife Liudmila Petropoulos leaving the Geelong Magistrates Court,

A former Geelong businessman and his wife have been found guilty of 48 charges of animal cruelty.

RSPCA Victoria announced Kon and Liudmila Petropoulos had been penalised more than $122,000 by the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court, and were banned from keeping or selling any cats or kittens for 10 years.

Mr and Mrs Petropoulos have been previously prosecuted by RSPCA Victoria on multiple occasions for selling kittens illegally, and for animal cruelty.

Jake Kniese was sentenced in court.

A man who publicly punched a dog at least six times in the head was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order.

Geelong man Jake Kniese, 28, chased down and beat up an American Staffordshire Terrier called Zeus, who he was in charge of at the time.

The incident which took place on February 13, 2021, was captured on video by a witness in North Geelong and showed the accused punching the dog at least six times in nearly three seconds.

Kimba was severely malnourished when found by authorities.

A dog died and another has been rescued by RSPCA after a Geelong woman left them to starve to death in her backyard.

Janelle Blackley faced the Geelong Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to provide both animals with sufficient food and water and failing to provide veterinary treatment.

Blackley was also charged with and pleaded guilty to aggravated cruelty in relation to the death of one of the dogs.

An image of an emancipated horse.

A Teesdale woman who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after RSPCA inspectors found more than 30 extremely skinny Welsh ponies in her care has been ordered to reduce the number she owns.

At one stage in 2019, Karen Smithyman, 69, owned more than 40 ponies, but on Monday she was told to cut that to 10 by February next year.

Smithyman faced Geelong Magistrates’ Court, where it was heard 32 of her ponies were “severely emaciated” when RSPCA inspectors went to her property in 2019.

LEIGH MITCHELL

A veterinary clinic was “horrified” when a former Geelong greyhound trainer brought in a dog he had left to die in his backyard.

Norlane man Leigh Mitchell, 37, admitted he was a trainer who had been disqualified from owning greyhounds for unrelated offences at the time he mistreated a new dog that had been “dumped” with him.

Mitchell pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates Court in October to aggravated cruelty and failing to provide treatment.

After four or five days of mistreatment, Mitchell brought the deceased dog into a local veterinary clinic who said they were “horrified and believed there had been offences” committed against the animal.