58-year-old Peter Smith has pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty after picking up a hand-raised chook known as 'Betty White' from her enclosure at a NSW wildlife sanctuary, putting her inside his shirt and throwing her into an alligator enclosure in front of shocked visitors who alerted staff. This video includes ACM-produced voiceover powered by AI.
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00:0058-year-old Peter Smith has pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty after picking
00:06up a hand-raised chook known as Betty White from her enclosure at a New South Wales wildlife
00:11sanctuary, putting her inside his shirt and throwing her into an alligator enclosure in
00:17front of shocked visitors who alerted staff.
00:20The alligators instantly made their way towards the chook, with one of them snapping Betty
00:25White into its mouth, killing her immediately.
00:28The defence lawyer said Smith had no criminal record, was a grandfather, had grown up in
00:33the country and just wanted to feed an alligator.
00:36The maximum penalty for aggravated animal cruelty in New South Wales is two years' imprisonment
00:41and a fine of $24,084.
00:44Mr Smith's case was adjourned to November 20 for a sentence.