By Kim Arlington
July 16, 2008 11:18am
A DOG trainer who left a $10,000 greyhound locked in an abandoned car has been sentenced to five months' weekend detention over the dog's death.
Terry Darragh claimed his station wagon, with prize-winning greyhound Go Bronco in the back, had been taken by thieves while he was at the pub.
It was later revealed that he dumped his car in panic after colliding with a bus in Glebe on January 12, following the Wentworth Park dog races.
The next day the 37-year-old falsely reported the car stolen.
Locked in a cage in sweltering temperatures for over 12 hours, Go Bronco was found by a passer-by in Glebe on January 13.
The dog was critically ill with dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Despite the best efforts of vets, Go Bronco could not be saved and died a few days later.
Darragh pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty, negligent driving, making a false representation to police and failing to give details after a car accident.
He faced Balmain Local Court today, with defence lawyer Benjamin Goh telling the court Darragh was mortified that he let the dog die in the way it did.
Darragh had raised the dog from a pup and was remorseful for his actions, he said.
Magistrate Ross Clugston accepted evidence from a psychologist that the trainer was suffering from anxiety and depression at the time.
He ordered Darragh to spend five months in periodic detention over Go Bronco's death. He also sentenced him to 150 hours of community service for falsely sparking the police investigation and fined him a total of $1000 on the other two charges.
Darragh has lodged an appeal against the severity of his sentence.
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2 comments:
I posted this article as a reminder and warning as to how dangerous it is to leave a dog in the car during the summer. Obviously this is an extreme situation, but any amount of time in warm weather will put your dog in jeopardy,
GO BRONCO WAS MY DOG. I AM THE OWNER OF GO BRONCO. I HAVE FOUND OUT TODAY THAT TERRY DARRAGH SENTENCE HAS BEEN SQUASHED. ALL HE HAS TO PAY IS $1000.00 DOLLAR FINE AND WALK FREE. HOW IS THIS JUSTICE TO ME AND MY DEAD DOG.
GRAYSON PEARSE
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