Shepparton Magistrates’ Court: Travis Lines guilty of wilfully damaging property, reckless conduct endangering serious injury

A “distressed” Mooroopna man kicked a cat into a fence after it killed 12 of his birds and then threatened workers with a compound bow after they made too much noise near his unit.

The court was told Travis Lines knew he shouldn’t have kicked the cat, but was ‘distressed’ as it got into his aviary and killed 12 of his pet birds. Picture: Jack Colantuono

A Mooroopna man who kicked a cat into a fence after it killed 12 of his birds also threatened a group of workers with a compound bow after they made too much noise near his unit.

Travis Lines pleaded guilty to wilfully damaging property, failing to answer bail, possessing a controlled weapon without an excuse, committing an indictable offence while on bail, reckless conduct endangering serious injury and other charges.

The court heard Lines started yelling and kicked a cat after it got into his bird aviary on April 20, 2021 before he yelled at the cat’s owner and threatened to “smash in” the man’s head.

The man called police and officers arrived at the scene where Lines refused to speak to them.

Mr Lines told police he kicked the cat into a fence and didn’t trust the animal as it kept stalking his birds.

Lines was taken to the Shepparton police station and was interviewed.

He told police the cat was attacking his birds so he kicked the cat into the fence and all he said to the man was to lock up his cat.

On another occasion, maintenance workers were at job at a unit in Mooroopna on November 7 last year. could hear Lines — who was in the unit next door — complaining about the noise.

Lines was out on the front yard and grabbed a compound bow on top of a garden shed, the court heard, and then pointed the bow at the pair and said, “Oi look at this”.

Lines pulled the drawstring back and the workers, believing he was going to shoot them, jumped off the ladder.

The workers called triple-000 and police arrived and saw Lines yelling at other people in the unit next to him.

Lines grabbed a compound bow and frightened the two maintenance workers who were working on a nearby unit. Picture: Supplied

Lines was arrested and taken to the Shepparton police station and Lines’ partner gave the bow to police.

Lines told police at the time he bought the bow for hunting and when he was asked why he pointed the bow at the workers, he denied it.

“I didn’t point it at them,” he said.

Lines’ defence lawyer John McNamara said Lines kicked the cat because he was “distressed” as it killed 12 of his birds, including his rainbow island parrot.

Mr McNamara said Lines didn’t trust the cat because it would stalk his aviary.

“He obviously knows he shouldn’t have kicked the cat,” Mr McNamara said.

The court heard Lines admitted he was in possession of the bow and was aware it was a prohibited weapon.

Despite Lines’ denial, he pleaded guilty to the charges.

“That cat was only doing what cats do naturally, it was the owner’s responsibility,” Magistrate Peter Dunn told Lines.

“There was no need to kick the cat into the fence.”

Mr Dunn also said the maintenance workers cannot complete their work without making noise.

Lines was convicted and placed on a good behaviour bond for a period of two years.