Shannon De Waard sentenced for killing pet dog Harry

A lawyer has said a Sydney man and the pet Belgian Malinois dog he drowned in shocking circumstances are two more victims of a jailed paedophile, who caused a lifetime of trauma for the dog’s killer.

A man who drowned his dog in a Sydney river due to its vicious behaviour has been jailed, as a court heard his lifetime of trauma had clouded his judgment.

The Sydney community immediately took a dim view of Shannon De Waard, 49, when he was charged with recklessly beating or killing an animal over the death of his Belgian Malinois named Harry.

The deceased dog was found cable-tied to a concrete block under the wharf at Yowie Bay Sailing Club on the Port Hacking River by horrified swimmers in October 2021.

De Waard pleaded guilty to the charge after admitting he drowned the dog – which he had adopted from its previous owner because it scared his wife – because it was uncontrollable and kept biting him.

Shannon De Waard on the day after his arrest.

He also pleaded guilty to prohibited drug possession after police raided his home and discovered 117.6g of cannabis leaf.

While he was on bail for the dog’s death, De Waard was caught drink driving at more than three times the legal limit with a reading of 0.157 – resulting in him pleading guilty to high range drink driving.

Despite his lawyer’s pleas for the court to consider imposing an intensive corrections order, Magistrate Philip Stewart sentenced him to 18 months’ imprisonment with a six-month non parole period.

The court had heard De Waard endured a deeply grievous life which culminated in the reckless decision to drown the aggressive two-year-old dog.

De Waard’s mother died when he was three, his father was a violent, physically abusive alcoholic, and he was subsequently sexually abused as a child by a paedophile who is now serving prison times for his crimes.

“He had also earlier taken possession of a rescue dog which he described as his best friend, but the dog was run over and killed in 2019,” Mr Stewart said at Sutherland Local Court.

“He feels that he had never been dealt a decent hand in his life.”

Shannon De Waard.

The court heard De Waard had been relentlessly threatened and harassed following media reports on the dog’s death – provoking him to try and flee to his partner’s home the night he was caught drink driving while on bail in December.

Mr Stewart acknowledged killing the dog was out of character for De Waard, but expressed concern about his remorse for the crime.

“He appears focused on the impact of the offence on himself, not on the animal,” Mr Stewart said.

“He has worn the scars of his early childhood trauma, and there is independent corroboration the dog was aggressive from the former owner, the dog bit the defendant and the former owner as well as others – it does not excuse his conduct.”

Mr Stewart ultimately concluded the dog’s death and the subsequent high range drink driving – De Waard’s third major traffic offence in two years – were too objectively serious to impose an intensive corrections order.

“It is a serious act of cruelty on the dog, prevented from being able to escape its cruel fate as it was restrained from doing anything before it inevitably drowned,” Mr Stewart said.

“Notwithstanding his personal issues, it’s his fifth serious traffic offence and the third in two years.”

De Waard was granted bail to appeal his prison sentence in the District Court.

He was also ordered to pay $727.50 in compensation to the vet who had care of his deceased dog after it was discovered in the river.

De Waard’s solicitor Wayne Pasterfield had a single comment to make on the tragic case as his client was handcuffed and led to the cells prior to his bail being granted.

“That’s two more victims for the paedophile,” Mr Pasterfield said.