Kieran Woodhouse receives fine over prized cow’s ‘slow and painful’ shooting death

One of two men who illegally shot and killed a NT farmer’s prized buffalo cow and left it to die in a field has been ordered pay compensation.

ONE of two men who illegally shot and killed a Top End farmer’s prized buffalo cow and left it to die in a field has been ordered to pay $3000 in compensation after handing himself in six years later.

Kieran Woodhouse, 31, pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court to trespassing, property damage and firearms offences after abandoning the animal to a “slow and painful death” in July 2015.

Prosecutor Lee Campbell said the “hand-reared, three-year-old milking cow buffalo with a newborn calf at foot” was “shot through her rectum” during the incident at the Rum Jungle farm.

Buffalo farmer Geoff Arthur kneels over the slain cow ‘Blue’ in 2015.

Ms Campbell said an experienced slaughterman had subsequently examined the animal and reported he “could see her guts had already come out of her rear end”.

“The buffalo, importantly, were part of a unique herd, on that private property, of those purebred riverine dairy buffaloes, each valued in the vicinity of $3000,” she said.

The court heard the men also shot and killed a treasured buffalo bull, but Woodhouse was only charged over the cow’s death and his co-accused was still on the run.

His lawyer, Peter Maley, said an animal cruelty charge had been dropped after Woodhouse claimed he was “aiming at behind its ear” and “the animal he shot went straight down”.

“Another man was firing shots as well, he feels terrible about shooting this man’s cow,” he said.

Mr Maley said his client had “realised he’d done the wrong thing” once he noticed the buffaloes were not wild and had apologised to their owner, Geoff Arthur.

“He rang Mr Arthur the following Monday and said ‘Look, I’m sorry for what I’ve done’, he said he’d come and do some work out there at his property to try and offset the damage of the cow,” he said.

Geoff Arthur with another of his prize buffaloes, 'Walter', in happier times.

“Arthur was pretty good about it and he said that if work was required he’d contact my client, there was no further communication or contact, my client eventually left the Territory.”

In handing Woodhouse a $1200 fine and a 12-month good behaviour bond, judge Greg Macdonald said he accepted he was genuinely remorseful for his “very stupid mistake”.

“From what I can tell, they had invested huge amounts of personal energy, hope and money into their enterprise and to have young fellas going around with, I presume, high-powered firearms, knocking them over, is really quite reprehensible,” he said.

“I’ve got no doubt that in terms of rehabilitation you’ve learned a very expensive lesson and you won’t be so foolish again.”