Animal activist Siena Callender faces Bendigo court charged with surveillance
An animal activist who allegedly captured footage of a man allegedly raping a pig in Carag Carag will argue there is no evidence to prove the charges against her.
Goulburn Valley
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An animal activist charged with installing CCTV which led to footage of a man allegedly raping a pig will argue there’s no evidence she was the author of a report handed into police.
Farm Transparency Project investigator Siena Callender has been charged with trespassing, breaching biosecurity measures and installing an optical surveillance device into the Midland Bacon piggery at Carag Carag.
She appeared via video link at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday for a contest mention which did not proceed.
The court heard last year founder of the Farm Transparency Project Chris Delforce handed a USB and two signed documents purported to be declarations authored by himself and Ms Callender, with footage that showed piggery worker Bradley O’Reilly allegedly having sex with a sow to police.
Ms Callender refused to be interviewed by police.
Mr O’Reilly was charged with bestiality in March last year.
Defence lawyer Mel Vinton said there was “simply no evidence” she was the author of the document.
“That’s essentially what the police case is,” she said.
“No admissible evidence against her as the case stands currently.”
Magistrate Russell Kelly asked the prosecution what evidence they had that Ms Callender trespassed on the property.
The prosecutor was unable to reveal any further evidence and said they were rushed to a contest mention so he was “shooting from the hip”.
Ms Vinton indicated the prosecution intended to call Ms Callender as a witness in the case of Mr O’Reilly and requested Ms Callender’s matter be dealt with swiftly.
“What may ultimately occur, should this case continue to run, the prosecution will be able to obtain some admissible evidence through the process of the connected matter, which is putting my client in a position where she is not getting a fair hearing herself,” she said.
The police prosecutor said Ms Callender was yet to be interviewed in Mr O’Reilly’s matter.
“How can you call a witness when you don’t know what she’s going to say,” Mr Kelly said.
“I’m not convinced she’s a witness.”
Ms Callender will reappear at the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on April 17 for a contest mention.
At his most recent court appearance, Mr O’Reilly argued the evidence against him was “inadmissable” due to the fact it was allegedly captured illegally.
He is due to face a hearing at the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on June 4 which will decide whether the evidence against him can be used.
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