Farmhand jailed for 42 days after video showed him running down emus in his ute
A young farmhand from Victoria has been jailed for 42 days after a shocking video showing him running down a herd of emus in his ute went viral, sparking a nationwide manhunt.
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A young farmhand from Victoria has been sentenced to 42 days in prison for running down a herd of emus with his ute.
Jacob McDonald, 20, was charged by police in 2018 after footage emerged of him laughing as he sped towards the large birds before running them down with his vehicle.
The horrifying video went viral and sparked a nationwide manhunt for the man behind the cruel act.
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After the video was shared thousands of times, MacDonald was tracked down by police and the RSPCA.
The farmhand, from the small town of Cowangie, near the South Australian border, was charged with a string of offences, including aggravated cruelty to animals.
He also faced several driving offences.
MacDonald claimed the cruel video of him ploughing down the native birds was only for his mates to see.
During the distressing video, MacDonald drives at a high speed towards the running emu mob, shrieking and yelling. As he hits the birds, he yells and keeps count.
He appeared in court today supported by dozens of family and friends. Many of them had submitted character references for him.
MacDonald turned away when the prosecution played the video of his ute rampage in court.
“You received pleasure from inflicting pain on defenceless animals,” said magistrate Michael King as he handed down MacDonald’s sentence.
MacDonald last year said he was acting to protect the land from emus.
“I could show you some photos of the destruction the emus make down here. We’ve been in drought. We’re literally growing crops on about four inches of rain.”
“You’ve got these animals coming in and making a mess. The reason there is so many on the road is because they’re looking for something to eat. And there’s nothing.”
“They’re just that poorly, they need to be put down.
“Here is what the RSPCA doesn’t understand, they go on about cruelty, they should come out here and have a look at the state of these animals … they’re not doing anything for them.”
MacDonald lodged an appeal and will be released on bail until its hearing at a later date.
Originally published as Farmhand jailed for 42 days after video showed him running down emus in his ute