An Albion Park Rail mum who repeatedly beat her dog in front of startled neighbours while apparently high on ice has been convicted of animal cruelty.
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However, Rebecca Lee Cooper will still be allowed to have animals in the future after the presiding magistrate stopped short of imposing orders that would prevent her from owning or looking after pets of any kind.
Documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court said one of Cooper’s neighbours discovered the dog on her doorstep on the afternoon of June 21 last year, and, believing she was performing a good deed, walked the animal back to Cooper’s house.
She told police she knocked on Cooper’s door but there was no answer, so she went next door to speak with a friend, leaving the dog outside.
Moments later, the woman said she heard the dog yelp in pain and Cooper screaming at the animal.
She said she ran out of the house to see Cooper slapping the dog around the head “several times” before grabbing it by the ear and taking it towards her front door.
The woman said she ran up to the dog and threw her own body over the animal hoping to protect it.
Cooper hit the screen door with a broomstick she’d been holding, causing the door to hit the woman in the back.
Cooper then ran after the woman, still brandishing the broomstick and yelling “you evil slut you should burn like the devil”.
Police arrived a short time later and spoke with the victim, who had the dog with her at the time. The woman said Cooper had been using ice in recent days and had been “going crazy”.
Police said Cooper was “extremely aggressive” when they spoke to her and appeared under the influence of drugs. They said she told them “I’ve had enough of the dog, the dog annoys me.”
The 40-year-old was charged with animal cruelty, assault and intimidation charges, to which she pleaded guilty. In court, lawyer Danny Lagopodis said Cooper bought the dog as a puppy and loved it dearly.
“She was not feeling good on this day, she was going through a lot of stress and anxiety,” he said.
“The dog suffered no significant injuries.”
Magistrate Roger Clisdell placed Cooper on a nine-month community corrections order for the offences involving her neighbour, and fined her $500 for the animal cruelty charge.
Meanwhile, Cooper took to Facebook the day after her sentencing, writing “9months….i got this. F**k u all”.
The following day she vowed to regain custody of her pet: “Straight onto this no stalling appntmnt made...im gunna bring my dog home no stopping me”.
