Alleged bestiality details so depraved as to ‘offend public decency’, court rules

The details of a Darwin man’s alleged bestiality and animal cruelty are so depraved they would ‘offend against public decency’ if published, a court has ruled.

UPDATE 4.30PM: THE details of a Darwin man’s alleged bestiality and animal cruelty are so depraved they would “offend against public decency” if published, a court has ruled.

The 51-year-old faced the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday where his barrister, Mary Chalmers SC, applied for any details of the alleged offending to be suppressed from publication.

Ms Chalmers said statements made by police and already reported in the media supported the contention that the details would “offend against public decency” if released.

“I don’t think it’s controversial that we tick that box on the application,” she said.

“The first and principle rule is that judicial hearings should take place in open court, publicly and in open view, with no restrictions on reporting, which is a fundamental precept of our criminal justice system,” she said.

“However, there are occasions where that principle must yield to the paramount duty of the court to (ensure) that justice is done.

“Your honour, this appears to be one of those cases.”

Ms Chalmers said the “main details” of the alleged offending were already public so she was not seeking “a complete stifling of any reporting of the matter”.

“Also, the opinion of a long serving NT Police officer about perhaps the level, and what he’s said, your honour may assess as having been accurate,” she said.

“It doesn’t appear to be an exaggeration, for example.”

Prosecutor Caitlin Searle said while “of their very nature, cruelty to animal charges are often confronting”, the prosecution did not oppose the order for the time being.

In adjourning the case until June 22, judge Alan Woodcock said he was satisfied that the publication of the evidence was likely to offend against public decency and it was in the interest of the administration of justice to grant the order.

EARLIER: A RURAL area man charged with bestiality and aggravated animal cruelty will face court for the first time on Tuesday afternoon, following a raid on a property last week.

The man, aged in his 50s, who cannot be named under NT law due to the nature of the charges, was due to appear in the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday morning where his lawyer, Julie Franz, successfully applied for an adjournment.

In a statement released on Saturday, a spokesman for the NT Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team said officers had been tipped off to the man’s alleged activities after a video depicting animal cruelty “surfaced on the internet”.

During the raid, further material, including “a significant number of videos depicting animal cruelty and bestiality” were also allegedly recovered on computers, mobile phones, hard drives and digital cameras.

Animal welfare inspectors outside court on Tuesday. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

At the time, detective acting Senior Sergeant Jon Beer said the contents of the videos was allegedly “abhorrent”.

“If members of the public came across this material they would be revolted,” he said.

“It is incomprehensible that an individual could imagine such acts let alone carry them out. The depravity is deeply disturbing.”

Under the bestiality provision of the Criminal Code, any person found guilty of engaging in vaginal or anal intercourse with an animal is liable to imprisonment for up to three years.

The NT Sexual Offences Act prohibits the publication of the identity of alleged sex offenders “before the defendant is committed for trial or sentence”.

The case returns to court at 2pm.