No jail time for farm invaders in Western Australia
Australian courts have given suspended sentences to two activists who broke onto a farm and sole a calf, angering farmers.
24 February 2020
1 minute read
According to reporting in Farmers.org, James Warden and Arkadiusz Swiebodzinski walked free from court after being found guilty of invading a farm and stealing a calf. They pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing and aggravated burglary at the White Rocks farm near Brunswick, Western Australia in October 2018.
Warden received a 12-month suspended sentence and Swiebodzinski was fined $5,000 Aus. In its verdict, the magistrate stated that the line between animal activism and criminality had been crossed.
Fiona Simson, President of Australia’s National Farmers’ Federation stated: “Actions speak louder than words. Until serious punishments such as custodial sentences are introduced, there will continue to be a minority of extremists who think they have a right to invade and terrorise farmers on their own property.”
“Farmers are rightfully concerned about the fact that their farms can be invaded in the dead of night and streamed live on the internet and that offenders are able to walk away with a slap on the wrist,” Ms Simson continued.
“This is not just a matter of basic privacy. These intruders are placing the biosecurity of our farms and the welfare of our animals at risk.”
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