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■ Two repeat animal cruelty offenders have been penalised a total of $122,000 by the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last Thursday (May 12). The offenders were banned from keeping or selling any cats or kittens for 10 years - sending a strong message to potential offenders that illegal behaviour involving animals will not be tolerated in Victoria. RSPCA Victoria successfully prosecuted Kon and Liudmila Petropoulos for both running an illegal domestic animal business and for animal cruelty offences. Mr and Mrs Petropoulos have previously been prosecuted by RSPCA Victoria on numerous occasions for selling kittens illegally and for animal cruelty. At the contested hearing finalised in court Magistrate Rodney Crisp found the couple guilty on all charges (48 in total), fined them a cumulative total of $22,000 and ordered the payment of $100,914 in costs to the RSPCA. Mr and Mrs Petropoulos were both given a disqualification order under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, banning them from being the owner or person in charge of any cats (including kittens) for a period of 10 years. This was accompanied by a monitoring order for the same period of 10 years to monitor compliance with the banning order. Both were also given a banning order under the Domestic Animals Act, banning them from keeping or selling any cats (including kittens) for a period of 10 years, and are prohibited from conducting or working in any domestic animal business for that period. RSPCA Victoria’s Major Investigations Team Leader, Lisa Calleja, said this had been a complex investigation that had required significant investment of RSPCA Victoria resources over the past two years. “This case demonstrates we will not be deterred from pursuing animal cruelty offenders, no matter the complexity of the investigation required or the resources we need to dedicate,” Ms Calleja said. “The strong result from the court today goes to show that if people choose to illegally sell animals, or engage in animal cruelty, RSPCA will continue to pursue those offenders and ensure that they are held to account.” The kittens involved in this case were seized
from the property of the accused and were found to be suffering from a range of ailments, including upper respiratory infections, eye and nasal discharge, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis and ear infections. These conditions are associated with overcrowded and unhygienic conditions. In this case, failure to provide appropriate housing, husbandry and veterinary treatment directly led to the illnesses, pain and suffering of the kittens. Previously prosecuted by RSPCA Victoria in March 2020, Kon and Liudmila Petropoulos were charged with operating an illegal domestic
animal business, failing to comply with the Code of Practice, failing to comply with the lawful direction of an authorised officer and improper confinement of ten cats. They were each prohibited from conducting or working in a domestic animal business for 18 months, placed on an adjourned undertaking to be of good behaviour for a period of 18 months and fined $750 and $500 respectively. In July 2020, after a public appeal for information, RSPCA Victoria again executed two warrants at Mr and Mrs Petropoulos’s property in Ballarat after receiving information from several members of the public who lodged official reports with RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate. The reports claimed the couple was allegedly breaching a court ordered ban by continuing to operate an illegal domestic animal business. RSPCA Victoria’s Major Investigations Team seized nine kittens at the property due to further alleged breaches of the DAA, in that they were not complying with the mandatory Code of Practice. The sale of animals in public places such as parks, roadsides and car parks is illegal. Dogs and cats must be sold from either a registered domestic animal business, from a private residence or sold at a place where an animal sale permit is in place.