A Kangaroo Flat man who ripped the head off a child’s kitten, then threatened to do the same to the boy, has been told he faces three months in prison.
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Darren Fisher, 42, pleaded guilty to a raft of charges, including aggravated animal cruelty and unlawful assault, in the Bendigo Magistrates Court yesterday.
The court heard Fisher had parked his car in front of a house in Dean Street where some children were playing cricket on the evening of January 21.
Prosecuting, Senior Constable Tony Graham said a 12-year-old boy was angry the car had interrupted his game and jumped on the vehicle’s roof.
“The accused, who was intoxicated, demanded $10,000 to fix the roof,” Senior Constable Graham said.
“He picked up a nearby kitten and swung it around by the head.
“He said ‘if you don’t give me the money, watch this’ and twisted the kitten’s head around until it was decapitated.
“The accused received scratches to his hands as the kitten fought for its life.”
Senior Constable Graham said Fisher returned to the 12-year-old’s home some weeks later and yelled at his father: “Tell your son to come out and jump on my car again and I will rip his head off like the f***king cat”.
Fisher’s defence counsel John Whelan said his client’s offending was a “moment of drunken madness” and there was evidence he had a “mild alcohol-induced brain impairment”.
But Magistrate Jennifer Tregent said alcohol could not be used as an excuse, even if it was obvious “his brain is probably somewhat pickled”.
“He can’t say, ‘now I’m sober I’m terribly sorry’, it just doesn’t work like that.”
Ms Tregent deferred sentencing until 2pm today to allow Fisher to be assessed for a community corrections order (CCO). She indicated he was facing an immediate three-month jail term then a possible CCO.