Hamel cat attack: Fruit picker Tevita Vaenuku avoids jail after filming horror torture of animal by Max Loketi

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT A fruit picker who “actively encouraged” his colleague’s torturing and beating of a small cat by laughing and filming the “horrific and prolonged” act of animal cruelty will walk out of prison and instead have to complete community work — if he stays in WA. Tongan national Tevita Fifita Vaenuku, 27, was working at a property in Hamel, about 150km south of Perth, when he recorded and then shared the video of the savage assault at the hands of fellow fruit picker Max Loketi in their accommodation. Loketi picked up the stray animal by its tail and bashed it with a 2m pole or stick while it was suspended in the air and on the ground to the point it “almost certainly” died, after it attacked him in the toilet on March 6. He was last month jailed for a year over the attack, which a magistrate said was “sadistic”, “savage” and showed a “complete lack of humanity”. The attack was considered to be so severe that it was the first time in WA history an RSPCA prosecution has ended in an immediate prison sentence. In Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Vaenuku also pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty offence on the basis he “actively encouraged” his colleague by recording him and laughing. RSPCA prosecutor Ian Weldon said while Vaenuku was heard saying in Tongan “stop it before the cat dies” and “stop doing that to the poor cat”, the “overall tenor” of the conversation acted as a “clear encouragement for the offender”. “The comments must be seen as frivolous or sarcastic,” he said. Vaenuku uploaded the video to WhatsApp, which came to the attention of his employer who reported it to authorities. Defence lawyer David Rice said the attack had started before he came out of his room and began filming. “He does tell Mr Loketi to stop it before the cat dies, but I think the problem is you can hear him laugh ... which is almost an encouragement as ‘this is funny’,” he said. Mr Rice said Vaenuku accepted he should have stopped the attack. Magistrate Cillian Stockdale said the attack was “horrific and prolonged”. Mr Stockdale said while he accepted Vaenuku asked Loketi to stop, “what however was more prominent, was your laughter at what was occurring’. “It does, however, seem Mr Loketi was intent on killing the cat in any event,” he said. “In my view, your behaviour, while reprehensible, falls at a much lower scale than Mr Loketi’s.” Mr Stockdale said a message needed to be sent to the community that animals must not be treated in this manner, but said that message had already been sent by Loketi’s sentence and the fact Vaenuku had spent a month in custody. The magistrate noted Vaenuku had served that time in a place where he did not speak the language and that he would have lost a significant amount of income. He imposed a 10-month community based order, which will include 40 hours of community work and anger management counselling, which Mr Stockdale said he expected would include counselling on how to treat animals appropriately. Vaenuku will only have to complete the order if he stays in WA. His visa is due to expire next month.