Connor Churchill’s Snapchat fishing hook seagull cruelty case continues to drag through court
A young man has returned to court after he allegedly baited a seagull with his fishing hook then laughed as the tortured creature tried to fly away.
Tasmania
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- Young man says he didn’t intend to bait seagull on hook on Hobart road
- Man sentenced for animal cruelty in the Hobart Magistrates Court
THE animal cruelty case of a young man who allegedly baited a seagull then laughed as his mates filmed the tortured animal trying to fly away is continuing to drag slowly through Hobart’s court system.
Connor Joseph Churchill, 21, has been charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals likely to result in death, deformity or serious disablement, and one count of cruelty to animals.
Mr Churchill appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court on Wednesday after previously failing to show up on two occasions.
In December last year, he pleaded guilty to all three of the charges before making a plea change to the second aggravated cruelty charge, claiming he didn’t intend to bait the bird.
The youth now has a new lawyer, who on Wednesday asked for the matter to be adjourned until November.
Mr Churchill’s charges date back to April 2018, when according to police, a seagull swallowed his fishing hook on the Midway Point causeway.
The court previously heard his mates then filmed the bird trying to fly away with fishing line wrapped around its leg, uploading the video to Snapchat.
Penalties for aggravated cruelty include up to 60 months’ jail or up to $23,000 in fines.
Mr Churchill will reappear in court on November 26 for contest mention.
Originally published as Connor Churchill’s Snapchat fishing hook seagull cruelty case continues to drag through court