- He had been caught on CCTV removing a goat from its paddock and then taking it to a bathroom on June 10, 2022
A man who had sex with a pet goat in a toilet has pleaded guilty to bestiality.
Jacob Heatlie Johnston, 21, was charged with having sex with a goat on two occasions in the Tasmanian town of Branxholm.
He had been caught on CCTV removing a goat from its paddock and then taking it to a bathroom on June 10, 2022.
A further offence was committed on November 3 of that year, leaving the goat’s owner ‘distressed’.
A veterinary clinic swabbed the goat at the time, which came back positive for human DNA after the family had suspected foul play.
In his first court appearance in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Wednesday he admitted to the crime, The Mercury reported.
CCTV footage from the family farm was used to help identify him after Johnston’s first offence.
Police were provided footage showing a man lifting the pet out of its enclosure before leading it towards the bathroom stalls at around 2am. The family made a formal complaint on June 11.
‘There were concerns for the welfare of the goat and a vet examination was undertaken as part of the investigation process,’ Sergeant Brent O’Mahony of Scottsdale Police told the Mercury after reviewing the footage.
Johnston was unrepresented when he was first committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.
Magistrate Simon Brown announced that she would continue to let Johnston remain on bail after he pleaded guilty.
He is now set to face sentencing on September 4, 2023.
