Wollongong man Kaine O’Brien sentenced after pulling taser on neighbour over barking dog

A man threatened to kill his neighbour’s dog during an ugly dispute which saw him throw a bin at the pet, kick the canine then pull out a taser.

Kaine O’Brien was sentenced in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday.

A neighbourly dispute over a barking dog on a prestigious Wollongong street has ended up in court after a man pulled a taser on a woman.

Kaine O’Brien, who also goes by the surname McFadgean, faced Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to possessing or using a prohibited weapon and intimidation.

Documents tendered in court state O’Brien lived with his partner in a Department of Housing complex on Cliff Rd, Wollongong, with the female victim living in a neighbouring unit.

About 12pm on October 20, 2022, the woman told O’Brien to be careful about his dog barking because there had been council rangers attending the property.

About three hours later, the victim was in the U-shaped complex’s courtyard with her two dogs when O’Brien’s dog started barking at them through his front screen door.

The incident occurred at a unit complex on Cliff Rd, Wollongong. Picture: Google Maps

As the dogs barked, O’Brien yelled “I’m going to kill your dog”. The victim then began to film as O’Brien walked out of his unit holding a small taser and his partner said “I’ll stick the taser up your c**t”, according to court documents.

“You’ll never see your dog again, you’re going to jail,” O’Brien yelled at he walked back inside his unit, with his partner adding “I’m going to hurt this c**t”, according to court documents.

The police facts state O’Brien threw a bin at one of the victim’s dogs before kicking out at it.

“You’ll spend a lot of time in a hospital bed. Walk away for your own safety,” O’Brien said.

According to police documents police arrived at the address and as they spoke to the victim, O’Brien and his partner began yelling at the woman.

O’Brien admitted to having the taser and after it was confiscated his partner yelled: “They took the taser so I’ll shove something else up your c**t”.

In court on Tuesday, O’Brien’s lawyer Jordan Meechan said the arguing over the dogs was an “ongoing issue” with his client pushed to “his wit’s end”.

He said O’Brien’s lashing out at the dog was an attempt to get the dog away from him, rather than hurt the animal.

Magistrate Claire Girotto rejected Mr Meechan’s submission a conditional release order would suffice and convicted O’Brien and sentenced him to a two-year community correction order. He was also fined $100.