Published in The Press on 11 February 2025
https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360576613/ute-hunting-trip-inflicted-gratuitous-cruelty-stag
A second man involved in a “hunting” trip in which a stag was hit by a ute has been sentenced for his part in inflicting “gratuitous cruelty” on the animal.
Mackenzie George Brewerton, 20, appeared at the Nelson District Court on Tuesday on charges of ill treating a wild animal and unlawful hunting.
The summary of facts read in court, said Brewerton, along with several others, was part of a social media group called Nz Poaches.
Brewerton and his co-offender Quinn Woodman, together with two 16-year-olds, agreed they would hunt deer by hitting them with Woodman’s ute.
Woodman was sentenced in October last year to six months’ community detention and 100 hours of community work.
A mob of around eight deer were on the road. Woodman accelerated towards them, while a girl filmed with her phone. Woodman swerved towards a stag, and struck it on its rear.
The animal spun three times and came to rest on its side, where it thrashed on the ground. Injured, it struggled to get a grip on the road.
Brewerton grabbed the deer’s antlers and dragged it to the ground. Its antlers became entangled in a wire fence.
He killed the deer by cutting its throat while Woodman and another person restrained it.
Judge Joanne Rielly said the deer would have suffered blunt force trauma injuries and broken bones.
Hunting it by chasing it with the ute and then pinning it to the ground would have caused it to suffer “unreasonable and unnecessary” pain and distress.
Videos of the incident were shared on social media and received significant negative attention.
Brewerton sent a voice memo to someone unrelated in an attempt to “minimise” what had occurred, the court heard.
His lawyer, Mark Dollimore, said Brewerton had a lot to do with animals as a stockman with 50 sheep of his own.
He also had his own dogs, and recently took care of a litter of puppies.
Brewerton regretted his behaviour, and Dollimore said it had been a “growing up situation” for him.
In 2023, he had been in a head on accident and suffered a head injury, and was at times depressed and volatile.
Judge Rielly said the offending was “unusual” and “concerning” and was premeditated, at least in part.
It caused significant distress to the stag “because … of gratuitous cruelty to the animal for the purposes of your enjoyment and the enjoyment of your friends”.
“This was naive and immature behaviour on your part, in circumstances where a group of young people made silly decisions about something, failing to recognise the rights of the animals concerned and the effects of your actions on the animals.”
However, the judge accepted that Brewerton was genuinely remorseful and sorry for his role in the events.
Brewerton had made a mistake, and had borne the consequences by being on bail and also when serving his sentence, she said.
“You’re a young man with promise for the future,” Judge Rielly said.
“You must not let it define you.”
Brewerton was sentenced to four months’ community detention with a night time curfew, and 100 hours of community work, some of which could be converted into work or training.