Petting zoo owner allegedly beat and hung dog

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT The owner of a mobile petting zoo in south west Sydney faced court today accused of repeatedly stabbing a dog with a pitchfork before hanging it from a tree by the neck and bashing its head with a mallet.

Daniel Brighton is charged with stabbing a dog with a pitchfork before allegedly hanging and beating it.

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WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

The owner of a mobile petting zoo in south west Sydney faced Campbelltown Local Court today charged with animal cruelty offences.

The RSPCA alleges Daniel Brighton stabbed a dog repeatedly with a pitchfork before hanging it from a tree by the neck and bashing its head with a mallet.

The incident is alleged to have occurred after a dog attack on a camel held at Mr Brighton’s Farm Friends facility in Minto on January 14 2016.

He is also the owner of Get Wild Animal Experiences.

Daniel Brighton with a saltwater crocodile for a newspaper photoshoot last year. Picture: Melvyn Knipe

Mr Brighton has pleaded not guilty to a charges which carry a maximum five year sentence.

Former employee Alana Doel, who lived on the property with her partner, told the court she had been woken at 3am to help Mr Brighton and his partner Rick Taylor assist a camel at the facility which had been attacked by two dogs.

Miss Doel said she walked to the pen where the camel was held and was told by Mr Brighton that he had fought off two dogs which had been hanging off the camel’s neck.

She later went to retrieve towels to help treat the camel and spotted two dogs running through the facility.

Mr Brighton is alleged to have chased after the dogs and dragged one of them to a tree where he tied it to the base with a leash provided by Miss Doel.

Miss Doel told the court that prior to driving to a vet to retrieve medicine for the camel, Mr Brighton used a pitchfork to stab the dog “at least six times”.

Former employee Alana Doel claims she witnessed the incident.

After returning from the vet and while attempting to move the dog’s body, Mr Brighton is alleged to have noticed the dog was still alive after it stood up.

He subsequently lifted the lead, which was attached to the dog’s neck, with two hands, tying it to a branch from a nearby tree.

Miss Doel said Mr Brighton then grabbed a mallet and beat the dog’s skull repeatedly.

“He was swinging it like a baseball bat,” she said.

“It was swinging back and forth six to eight times.”

Miss Doel later told the court that she and her now-husband Lochlan Baily were tasked by Mr Brighton that afternoon with burying the dog in nearby bushland.

During cross-examination, Mr Brighton’s lawyer said their were discrepancies between Miss Doel’s recollection of time and dates while in court and during interviews with RSPCA officers.

Miss Doel denied the assertions.

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Mr Brighton’s lawyer said Mr Brighton denied ever using a pitchfork to harm the dog.

The lawyer said Miss Dobel had continued to socialise with Mr Brighton and his family for months after the incident before leaving the business.

“Might I suggest the reason why you continued to socialise in this way with Daniel Brighton and his family is because this incident never happened,” he asked.

Miss Dobel responded that she continued to work at Mr Brighton’s business because she feared other animals were in danger.

The two-day hearing before Magistrate Shane McAnulty will resume tomorrow.