A Horsley mother has denied throwing a dog off a cliff while it was trapped inside a kennel after being charged with torture over a year after the alleged incident.
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The Australian bulldog, named Zoe, had to be euthanised after she was found injured and emaciated near Clive Bissell Drive at Mount Keira on January 22, 2023.
Zoe was discovered still alive at about 8.30am after a bushwalker heard her yelping and realised the noise was coming from an upside-down kennel at the base of the cliff.
Kaylah Williams, 32, was arrested at her Horsley home on April 12 following a lengthy investigation and was granted police bail.
Wearing a face mask with her hair tied up in a bun, Williams pleaded not guilty to a single count of torture, beat and causing the death of an animal when she faced Wollongong Local Court for the first time on Tuesday.
She sat quietly near the bar table as her defence lawyer entered the pleas on her behalf.
Police will allege the kennel containing the dog was thrown from the cliff the night before it was discovered.
Officers from Police Rescue, the Bomb Disposal Unit, as well as SES crews conducted a rescue operation to retrieve Zoe.
She was taken to a veterinarian but was euthanised due to her poor health and injuries, while the kennel was seized and forensically examined.
Williams did not answer questions from waiting media when she left the courthouse after her matter was briefly mentioned.
The case was adjourned to July.
Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
