Illawarra psychic Madeline Rose charged with cat cruelty fronts court hearing

A psychic facing a string of cat cruelty charges has delivered an other-worldly showing during a baffling court hearing where she claimed the magistrate was dead and ‘didn’t have jurisdiction’.

An Illawarra psychic has left a supposed “kangaroo court” perplexed by her bizarre behaviour during a chaotic hearing into multiple alleged cat cruelty charges.

Madeline Rose, 56, fronted the hearing in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday after pleading not guilty to five counts of aggravated cruelty upon an animal, four counts of failing to provide vet treatment and three counts of cruelty upon an animal.

Rose repeatedly told Magistrate Michael O’Brien he was only permitted to call her Madeline and refused to address the court from the microphone, instead opting to bellow from the back of the courtroom.

“I must have a contract to speak to the dead people of this court,” she said with one hand placed on a large, red ‘Holy Bible’.

“I can't talk to anyone in this court because you’re all dead.”

Rose later said she was the only living person in the courtroom which she claimed she could prove.

“I have witnesses who have seen me breathe on a mirror and put my foot on a page,” she said.

Madeline Rose leaving Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday. Picture: Dylan Arvela

The lawyer representing the RSPCA, Patrick Schmidt, tendered a video of inspectors at Rose’s Cringila address which showed dozens of cats living in squalid conditions with many locked away in small animal crates.

During the video, Rose objected ad nauseam, asserting the court “didn‘t have jurisdiction”, that it was a ”kangaroo court” and the case was ”fraud”.

“I object, you have not established jurisdiction,” Rose quarrelled.

“I am a living woman and you are all dead persons and dead persons cannot speak therefore you cannot speak.”

Despite saying she was “not going to present a case”, Rose did submit a USB which contained various photos of cats including one she said was 18 years old.

“They are claiming she was in very bad condition,” Rose said.

“She was just very old and old cats get thin. She was fat.”

An image from Madeline Rose’s ‘Australian Psychic’ Facebook page.

Documents previously tendered to the court allege Rose mistreated at least 60 cats and kittens at her home, which required six to be put down.

Rose allegedly kept the cats in “dirty and unhygienic” conditions which led to them being “unreasonably, unnecessarily and unjustifiably inflicted with pain, suffering and distress”.

The animals that had to be put down because it would have been “cruel to keep them alive” were allegedly suffering from myriad of conditions including chronic cat flu, neurological issues, stress, flea allergy dermatitis, periodontal infection, ocular and nasal purulent discharge, infected dental disease and general poor body condition.

The RSPCA rescued cats and kittens from Rose in March last year, with the organisation alleging 25 were suffering significant dental disease, 10 were in a poor bodily condition, nine were afflicted by upper respiratory disease, seven had conjunctivitis and four had entropion.

Magistrate O’Brien will hand down his decision in June.