Timothy Yates, 25, pleads guilty to animal cruelty charges after $30k burglary from Totally Reptiles
An “animal fixated” Bendigo burglar’s “abject cruelty” has been exposed after he killed multiple animals during a smash and grab on a reptile shop.
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A self-proclaimed animal lover cruelly killed multiple animals — including several threatened species — during a drug-fuelled smash and grab on a Bendigo reptile store.
Timothy Yates, 25, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and burglary charges after breaking into Totally Reptiles Central Vic at Kangaroo Flat on March 30 last year.
The animal abuser smashed the front window of the Lockwood Rd shop with a crowbar before smashing the enclosures and stealing animals during the Easter weekend last year.
Yates, who claims he “loves animals”, killed multiple protected and threatened species during his brazen burglary, leaving “baby reptiles” squashed under broken glass.
The criminal later tried to sell the stolen reptiles on Snapchat, before trying to extort money out of the owners for their return.
Owner Jodie Prideaux told the court “animal cruelty doesn’t get taken seriously enough”.
She said Yates’ “abject cruelty” and “total disregard” for the animal’s wellbeing was “completely overwhelming”.
Magistrate Sharon McRae said Yates’ behaviour was “revolting”.
“The way that you treated the animals shows someone who did not have any concerns of the animals,” she said.
“Smashing the enclosures, killing them as you were doing it.”
Ms McRae said it was “mind-boggling why someone would do that” to “defenceless” animals.
Yates, through his lawyer, told the court he was “extremely remorseful”.
The “strange and dark part of this offending”, his lawyer said, was the fixation and “intense passion for animals” that came with his autism diagnoses that motivated his offending.
Yates said he had “always intended” to plead guilty and was “happy” to pay restitution of $29,000 to Totally Reptiles, but Ms Prideaux said that number didn’t come close to the cost on the business in lost sales, damages and the stress that Yates had caused her family.
When asked by Ms McRae if Yates had repaid any of the damages, his lawyer said “no”, instead privately funding his legal defence and psychological reports designed to keep himself out of prison.
Yates’ lawyer said the animal abuser had been a meth and heroin addict since the age of 11, and had relapsed at the time of the offending, taking 20 Xanax pills before going on his crime tear.
His lawyer also told the court Yates had an intellectual disability, with an IQ of 69, ADHD and autism.
Yates’ lawyer said it “wasn’t in the community interest” to send his client to prison, claiming “he needs treatment” and arguing for a community corrections order and drug rehab.
Yates’s “stress and anguish” from the prospect of prison “hanging over him” should also mitigate his sentence, his lawyer argued – despite not having served any time in custody or paid any restitution and the criminal instructing his lawyers to negotiate with police for nearly 12 months.
Ms McRae said the “cruelty here is on a high level” and the community would expect a heavy sentence for Yates’ “horrible offending”.
However, the magistrate decided not to immediately imprison the animal abuser, instead ordering him be assessed for a community corrections order.
Ms McRae suggested a high number of community work hours and court ordered drug rehabilitation was appropriate.
Yates will return to court on May 20 for sentencing.
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