Former Comanchero bikie Daniel Grech pleads guilty to animal cruelty, assault

A small dog has had to receive multiple surgeries at a cost of $15,000 after a former outlaw bikie threw them down a flight of stairs during a disturbing run of crime.

Former Comanchero bikie Daniel Christopher Grech pleaded guilty to several offences including throwing a dog down a set of stairs.

A former Comanchero bikie may be forced to cough up thousands of dollars to pay for the surgeries a dog needed after he threw them down a set of stairs and broke its femur.

This horrid instance of animal cruelty was part of a long shopping list of offences committed by Daniel Christopher Grech of O’Connor, who has been in and out of custody for the better part of a decade.

ACT Magistrates Court heard the lurid details of his spree on Wednesday after he previously pleaded guilty to eight offences including aggravated cruelty to an animal causing serious injury, intentionally and unlawfully choke, suffocate or strangle another person and possessing a drug of dependence.

Agreed facts tendered to the court on Monday reveal the disturbing series of violence at the hands of Grech, who police say is a former Comanchero bikie, over several months.

Court documents say during a violent argument on October 13, 2022, he pushed a woman in her chest, damaged a television and threw a 7kg pet Japanese Spitz dog down a flight of stairs.

An x-ray of the dog’s injury. Picture: Contributed

Police say the 34-year-old grabbed the dog and placed it in one hand on his shoulder and proceed to “hurl” the dog, who landed heavily on the ground and began to make “extremely loud yelping noises”.

It was revealed in court the dog suffered a broken femur and needed three surgeries which cost $15,000, with the prosecution asking for restitution.

Daniel Grech faced the ACT Magistrates Court on September 13 via video link from jail. Picture: Gary Ramage

More offences would follow on November 9, 2022 where the O’Connor man grabbed a woman around her neck and punched her in the face.

Grech would then be involved in a weird dispute with his neighbour on November 14, 2022 where he threw a plant pot at his victim and also made vexatious triple-0 calls.

In the lead up to these offences, police say Grech also tried to bring buprenorphine into the Alexander Maconochie Centre on April 20, 2022 while he was a detainee.

Defence lawyer Jan de Bruin said Grech had paid hundreds of dollars towards the pet dog’s surgeries and expressed remorse for what happened to the dog.

Dr de Bruin said the O’Connor man was looking for a program for ongoing support for drug addiction and had completed several rehabilitation programs while in jail.

Dr de Bruin said the 34-year-old “wants to do the right thing” and was looking for an approach where he could receive ongoing support.

The court heard Grech had been in and out of custody since 2015, effectively nearly serving a “10 year sentence” for several different offences.

Magistrate Jane Campbell adjourned Grech’s sentence to later this month.