Michael Johns jailed after running down pregnant cow, Little Miss Maeve, slitting its throat
In an “utterly appalling” act of animal cruelty, a Hunter Valley man has run down a pregnant family cow, called ‘Little Miss Maeve’ with his vehicle before slitting its throat with a pocket knife and leaving it to die before the owner stepped in.
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A court has heard the horrifying details of how a Hunter farmer mowed down a pregnant cow with his car, slit its throat and allowed his dogs to harass and attack it, before telling its owner, “maybe you like to kill straight away, maybe I like to kill stuff slowly”.
A Hunter magistrate has described a shocking act of animal cruelty by Michael Kevin Johns as “callous and cruel” and the worst he’d ever seen.
A number of Australian lowline heifers from neighbouring land, had wandered on to the 37-year-old’s Brookfield property, near Dungog, in December last year.
The farmer then got into his Toyota Landcruiser - targeting the neighbours family pet cow which was four months pregnant - before slamming his vehicle into the animal breaking its rear right leg, according to police facts.
He then took a pocket knife and slit a six inch deep gash into the animal’s throat leaving it in “considerable pain” as he continued to work on his property.
After a number of hours, a neighbour sighted the animal in stress when it was surrounded by 15 Maremma dogs - owned by Johns - trying to maul and attack the animal.
“I don’t give a f**k it’s on my property, I can do what I want,” Johns said to the neighbour before driving away and later left the property, according to police facts.
It wasn’t until more than four hours later the distraught heifer’s owner euthanised the animal, putting an end to its suffering.
In police facts, Johns later admitted what he’d done to neighbours, who had recorded the conversation.
“F**k yeah man, I broke its legs and f**king bled its neck, I have no problems saying that,” the court heard.
Following an investigations by rural crime detectives, Johns eventually gave himself up at Gosford police station in February and was arrested.
A later autopsy showed the animal had its trachea cut but the arteries were not severed, a broken right leg, blood in the lungs and dog bite injuries.
Mr Johns pleaded guilty to torture, beat and seriously injure an animal and failing to prevent his dogs from escaping. Four other charges were dropped which included torture, beat and cause prolonged suffering to animal, commit an aggravated act of animal cruelty, dog attacks due to owner’s reckless act and fail to prevent a dog from escaping relating to occasions in January and February.
He also pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to provide veterinary treatment for a Maremma sheepdog puppy, where the animal was found to have poor body condition and intestinal parasitism.
In Raymond Terrace Local Court, Mr Johns’s solicitor made a section 32 mental health application telling the court his client had been diagnosed with adjustment disorder, where he had an inappropriate response to normal stressors.
“It is a transient disorder which causes these responses and the way he spoke to neighbours,” he said.
“There is a causal link with his behavior. He has taken steps to engage in therapy and counselling.”
But it was opposed by police prosecution Sergeant Matthew Barry, citing the treatment plans could be imposed for much longer periods not being dealt with under the act.
Magistrate Brett Shields told the court the harm and suffering to the animal was “utterly appalling”.
“The treatment of the animal was callous and cruel,” he said.
“Those interactions (with neighbours) exhibited an air of entitlement and despite being challenged and seeing his dogs attack the animal, he drove away for the animal’s suffering to continue.”
He refused the application and sentenced Johns to 16 months jail with a non-parole period of 10 months and five days, which means he’ll be eligible for release in August next year.
He was also ordered to pay $5096 in costs to the RSPCA.
“People were encouraging you to treat the animal humanely and you refused to do so,” Magistrate Shields said.
“Animals have every right to be treated humanely.”