Dean Barwick: Ex-greyhound trainer charged with animal cruelty
A Tasmanian sanctuary owner has told a court the hunger of two withered dogs was “mind-blowing”, with their owner claiming the dogs were in the care of his ex-wife. SEE THE PICS >>
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A Tasmanian animal sanctuary owner has told a court two greyhounds surrendered to her were “ravenous and severely emaciated”, covered in pressure sores and with muscles so atrophied they couldn’t move freely.
The dogs’ owner, Beauty Point man Dean Richard Barwick, 43, previously pleaded not guilty to two charges of animal cruelty and two charges of continuing cruelty to animals, with the matter partially heard before Launceston Magistrates Court on Friday.
Mr Barwick denies the charges on the basis that the dogs were in the care of his ex-wife.
The cruelty relates to two greyhounds, Molly and Swaggy, which Mr Barwick originally purchased in his capacity as a greyhound trainer.
Mr Barwick surrendered his license in December 2019 but did not retire or transfer ownership of the dogs, former acting director of the Office of Racing Integrity A/Sgt Tony Latham told the court in evidence.
The dogs were surrendered to Brightside Farm Sanctuary, at Cygnet on May 18, 2020, following a tip-off by Mr Barwick’s ex-wife, sanctuary owner Emma Haswell told the court.
Ms Haswell alleged she was contacted by Mr Barwick’s ex-wife on May 13 to express her concern the dogs were not being fed properly.
She said she attended the property five days later where she was met by Barwick, who collected the dogs from behind a shed at his former Deddington address.
“It was obvious he didn’t want me to see where they were being kept,” she alleged.
“I was so shocked, I’ve never, ever seen greyhounds in that condition.
“They were severely emaciated, they had pressure sores on their legs and bodies caused by lying down so the skin had worn off, their muscles had atrophied so they couldn’t move freely.
“They were ravenous. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“They would have eaten five bags of food if put in front of them.
“Their hunger was mind-blowing.
“It was horrifying.”
Tasmanian Animal Hospitals veterinarian Dr Isabel Brazier told the court the greyhounds would have reached their emaciated state in three to five weeks had they not been fed a morsel over that time frame, and many months if they had only been fed occasionally.
In his evidence, Mr Barwick told the court it was not he but rather his ex-wife who had care of the dogs during the relevant time, as he had been working on-and-off in Melbourne.
Magistrate Sharon Cure adjourned the hearing part-heard to April 18 to enable Mr Barwick to gather documents supporting his claim.
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