Mt Kembla: Radwan Alam accused of using dogs to ‘hunt, maul’ wild deer
A Sydney construction company owner and “family man” has been charged with illegal hunting after allegedly using dogs to hunt and maul wild deer in the escarpment near Wollongong.
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The owner of a Sydney construction company has been charged with weapons and animal cruelty offences, after he allegedly set two hunting dogs loose on private property to track and maul wild deer to death.
Radwan Alam, 43, was arrested at Mt Kembla’s Dendrobium Mine just before 3am on Monday morning with two of his mates, after police allegedly found them post-hunt with two injured Irish wolfhounds and a dead baby deer.
The 43-year-old, was granted strict bail by Magistrate Susan McGowan at Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday, after he was charged with seven offences including possess or use prohibited weapon without permit, enter private land to hunt animal and commit an act of aggravated cruelty upon an animal.
In documents tendered to the court on Tuesday, police alleged Alam, who lives in Strathfield and owns a farm at Darkes Forest, was a “well-known” illegal hunter and was under investigation for another deer killing at the University of Wollongong earlier this year.
Around 2.30am on Monday morning, Alam came to the attention of police again, after concerned members of the public reported illegal hunting in the enclosed lands around the mine.
Upon arrival, police allege in court documents, they found a Toyota LandCruiser near the entrance of the mine, with a dog cage fixed to the back.
Police allege Alam emerged from the bushes with an Irish wolfhound.
Officers noticed the dog was wet, and had abrasions to its feet. When asked what he was doing at the property, and at such an obscure hour, Alam allegedly told police he was just out “walking his dog”.
A short time later, Alam’s mates emerged from the bush with another dog, which police allege was covered in blood with a large gash to its throat.
Inside the LandCruiser, police allegedly found a meat cleaver and a butterfly hunting knife, which Alam allegedly told police belonged to his five-year-old son.
Police also allege they found a baby deer laying in a pool of blood with its throat “slashed” in a basket on the roof of the vehicle.
Each of the men were placed under arrest before the police walked around 20 metres into the property, where they found another two dead deer.
In the documents, police allege one of the deer also had it’s throat slashed as well as flash wound to its body, believed to have been caused by one of the dogs “biting and holding on to it”.
Police also found a small knife covered in blood on the property, which was allegedly used to cut the animals’ throats.
“(Alam) utilised dogs to hunt and track the deer, in order for them to bite and hold the deer until they were in a position to slit the throat of the deer, causing it to die,” police alleged in court documents.
Following Alam and his mates’ arrests, council rangers seized the two Irish wolfhounds, one of which needed medical attention for a gash on its neck, believed to have been caused by one of the deer.
Alam’s friends were released on bail after they were charged at Wollongong Police Station, while Alam was taken into custody.
In applying for bail on Tuesday, Alam’s defence lawyer Abigail Bannister argued her client was a “family man” and needed to be released to tend to the family’s Darkes Forest Farm.
Magistrate McGowan questioned why a ‘family man’ was out at 2.30am and had “given a knife to his five-year-old”, however agreed to grant the 43-year-old bail, imposing a curfew and strict reporting conditions.
The matter will return to court in July.