Pets Galore Toowoomba: Nicole Louise Bourne pleads guilty to 39 animal mishandling charges after RSPCA raid
A 45-year-old who runs one of Toowoomba’s biggest pet stores has pleaded guilty to 39 charges relating to animal treatment, more than three years after an RSPCA raid on the business.
Police & Courts
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More than three years after she was initially charged, Pets Galore owner Nicole Louise Bourne has pleaded guilty to 39 charges relating to the mishandling of animals at the Toowoomba pet store.
Ms Bourne, 45, appeared with her barrister Jens Streit and solicitor Harrison Humphries, of Clifford Gouldson Lawyers, before Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Tuesday to plead guilty to the charges which included failing to provide appropriate accommodation or living conditions for animals, failing to provide appropriate treatment for injured animals, failing to take reasonable steps to provide for the animal’s needs for displaying normal patters of behaviour, and failing to comply with an animal welfare direction.
She was initially charged with more than 200 matters but over time negotiations had lessened the charges to 39.
The animals in her care for which she was charged included cats, guinea pigs, canaries, finches, budgerigars, quails, mice and rats.
The charges followed an RSPCA raid of the Toowoomba pet store on May 20, 2020.
Barrister Liza Marshall, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, asked for an adjournment before sentencing Ms Bourne as the prosecution and defence were still negotiating a prohibition order which the Crown would be asking for at sentence.
Magistrate Kay Phillipson said the parties had more than three years to work through material to be ready for sentence.
Initially, the matter had been set down for a six-day hearing until the court was told Ms Bourne would be entering pleas of guilty to the 39 charges.
“Get cracking is my advice to you,” Ms Phillipson told Ms Marshall.
Ms Bourne was remanded on bail to appear for sentence back in the same court on Wednesday.
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