A late-night hunt for wild swine has had serious consequences for one man after he recently cut down and killed pigs in a Rankins Springs farmer’s herd.
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Kane Sedola was sentenced in Griffith Local Court on Wednesday, February 22 over a late-night June hunting spree costing the farmer three pigs.
Sedola was charged with two counts of killing cattle with intent to steal and one count of committing an act of aggravated cruelty.
On the night in question Sedola was searching for wild pigs to hunt with two others.
The trio pulled their vehicle over on the side of the road, conveniently coming to a stop alongside their victim’s property – a free range pig farm.
The group pulled up next to a paddock the boundaries of which were outlined by a wire stock-proof fence.
Inside were a number of pigs.
Sedola entered the paddock, climbing over the fence along with two hunting dogs, knives and a spear.
With the help of the dogs a female white sow was captured and killed after being stabbed with the knives and spear.
Then a small black boar was hunted down meeting the same grisly fate as the sow before it.
But the worst was saved for a large black barrow which, after being caught was stabbed a number of times in the mid-section, and was then decapitated.
Police believed the head was taken as a trophy due to the animal’s size, according to police facts.
The pig’s owner made the disturbing discovery of the animals’ bodies on the morning of Monday, June 27 during an inspection of their property.
The farmer called police who attended the scene, finding a six-foot spear made from a pine sapling left beside the body of the boar, as well as tyre tracks leading back to Rankins Springs.
By Friday, July 1 police had received information of Sedola’s involvement in the crime and obtained a warrant to search his home.
Inside his home they found clothes they believed had been worn on the night of the killings, as well as a mobile phone with photos of Sedola posing with the head of the pig he had been involved in cutting off.
Similar photos were also found on his Facebook page.
The total value of the pigs killed was estimated at $785.
Fully grown their worth would have reached $1500 collectively.
Sedola was fined $1500 for each of the killings and was made to pay $785 in reparation to the farmer whose pigs he killed.
Sedola was also sentenced to three months imprisonment for his actions.
However, this sentence was suspended by the Magistrate.
