Tom Quach denied bail after birds lured into suitcase, wrapped in fishing line at Malabar
A Sydney man who lured two corellas into a suitcase, subjecting them to bleeding and abuse, has made a fresh bid to get out from behind bars. Warning: Distressing content.
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A southeast Sydney man who lured two corellas into a suitcase before shaking it and tying the birds together with a fishing line has made a fresh bid to get out from behind bars.
Malabar’s Tom Quach faced Downing Centre Local Court from custody through a video link to launch a release application last week after pleading guilty to committing an act of cruelty on an animal and harming a protected animal.
This comes as the 61-year-old previously pleaded guilty to slaughtering an ibis in 2023, which he had planned to cook.
At court on Wednesday Quach’s lawyer Anthony MacGibbon filed a bail application on his client’s behalf.
Mr MacGibbon said the animal cruelty charge was the “most concerning” and Quach was on a community correction order when the fresh offences happened.
Quach suffers from schizophrenia but could comply with bail conditions, Mr MacGibbon told the court.
“He spent the last two weeks in a mental health unit,” Mr MacGibbon said. “He is getting treatment and is stable.”
Mr MacGibbon sought an adjournment for a sentence assessment report to be completed.
This comes as Quach lured two white native Australian corellas, also known as long-billed cockatoos, into a suitcase by using bread on a fishing line on the Anzac Pde, Malabar, nature strip about 6pm on January 18, court documents state.
A witness observed him shake the suitcase for a minute before transferring the birds into an animal carrier, documents continue.
When police arrived at Quach’s home the birds were tied together with a fishing line in a distressed state. They had ruffled feathers, blood on their mouths and were biting each other.
Quach told the officers the birds were already injured and “tangled” before he had collected them.
At court, prosecutor James Pollett opposed the bail application. He said Quach had also pleaded guilty to unrelated matters including assaulting a police officer without causing actual bodily harm, resisting police, two counts of possessing a prohibited drug and two counts of shoplifting.
Quach had a history of not following court orders and was labelled a “habitual participant of animal cruelty,” police facts state.
Magistrate Miranda Moody refused Quach’s bail and said while he was medicated he would also be at a serious risk of reoffending. He will be sentenced next month.
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