STATE OF TASMANIA v TRISTA LEE MOLLROSS and ANTHONY MICHAEL BLACKABY
ESTCOURT J
COMMENTS ON PASSING SENTENCE 30 MAY 2025
The defendant, Trista Lee Mollross, date of birth 8 April 1988, has entered pleas of guilty to two charges of aggravated animal cruelty contrary to s 9(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 1993 and the defendant, Anthony Michael Blackaby, date of birth 16 May 1979, has entered a plea of guilty to one charge of aggravated animal cruelty contrary to that section.
The charges involve two separate incidents on 27 February 2024 and 7 March 2024 where Ms Mollross and Mr Blackaby’s dog, a Staffordshire bull terrier named “Billie” was urged by them jointly and singly to attack and kill or injure three wallabies within the grounds of Dominic College in Glenorchy. Investigators were later able to obtain video footage of both incidents, with some footage taken by Ms Mollross using her mobile phone, and other footage obtained from the school CCTV. That footage was tendered on the sentencing hearing. The defendants were in a relationship and living in Glenorchy at the time of the offending.
On the evening of 27 February 2024, Ms Mollross and Mr Blackaby attended the Dominic College grounds with Billie. At approximately 8:24pm, Billie attacked a Bennett’s Wallaby and Ms Mollross began recording the attack with her mobile phone. Billie can be seen biting the wallaby at the base of its tail, while Ms Mollross and Mr Blackaby provide verbal encouragement. Mr Blackaby grabbed hold of the wallaby’s tail while the dog bit and thrashed at the animal. He grabbed the wallaby’s neck and presented the animal to Billie to bite. The wallaby appears seriously disabled by the end of the video, but not yet dead. The following commentary can be heard throughout the video:
- Mr Blackaby: What a good girl. Good girl (repeatedly).
- Ms Mollross: You need to help her. Help her. Kick it in the head or something.
- Mr Blackaby: She’s not letting it go.
- Ms Mollross: She needs to get its head or something.
- Mr Blackaby: Yeah, I know but she thinks it’s going to get away.
- Ms Mollross: She’s about to rip its tail off. Go Billie, good girl. Finish it, Billie.
- Mr Blackaby: Good girl.
Towards the end of the video a child is heard speaking in the background, apparently observing the incident. The child said “Your dog is naughty”. Ms Mollross responded “That’s what [or why] we’re gonna try and teach her”.
Ms Mollross commenced recording another video at approximately 8:32pm. This video shows Billie continuing to bite the wallaby and contains the following commentary:
- Mr Blackaby: Good girl.
- Ms Mollross: She’s got blood all over her.
- Ms Mollross: Kill it. Get it. Good girl. I think it’s dead now.
- Mr Blackaby: She’s buggered.
Ms Mollross and Mr Blackaby posed for photographs with the dead wallaby.
At 9:53pm, Ms Mollross sent one of the videos to Mr Blackaby’s family members, saying “Second roo actually got it on video this time”. She later said “Yeah she got this one all by herself at the beginning and then she started getting tired so ya dad grabbed the tail an she did the rest from there we bought this one home an skinned an gutted it she is exhausted”. Finally, she added “I didn’t think she had it in her ahahah but she was savage as ahaha”.
The following morning, at approximately 8am, Ms Mollross sent the first of the videos referred to above to her 13 year old daughter.
The matter was subsequently referred to the RSPCA, who contacted the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
In the early hours of 7 March 2024, Ms Mollross attended the Dominic College grounds with Billie. On this occasion, Billie again attacked a Bennett’s Wallaby. Ms Mollross commenced recording on her phone at approximately 2:08am, by which time the wallaby had been caught and was not moving, possibly dead. Ms Mollross said “Good girl. Fuck, get it. You got it. Who’s a good girl? You killed it, Billie. Come on, let’s go and get another one”.
Ms Mollross said “Stop, drop it” and Billie obeyed, dropping the wallaby before picking it up again. Ms Mollross grabbed the wallaby by the neck and presented it to Billie, saying “Get it by the neck”, “You’re just breaking its bones” and “Get it by the fucking head you dumb cunt”. Ms Mollross then kicked the incapacitated or dead wallaby around its head before presenting it to Billie, who took hold of it. Ms Mollross kicked the wallaby a further seven times.
Ms Mollross commenced another video at 2:11am. She kicked the wallaby a number of times before saying “You coming, do you want to get another one? Let’s go get you another one. You can’t do anything with it Billie, it’s dead”.
Ms Mollross then commenced another video at 2:16am. This short video shows Ms Mollross and Billie running in pursuit of a second wallaby. Ms Mollross can be heard saying “Come on, here. Go, go, go get it”, and “Billie, here. Go get it”.
Ms Mollross commenced a fourth video at 2:19am, soon after the previous video. The wallaby was pursued by Ms Mollross and Billie and collided with a glass door. Ms Mollross kicked and restrained the wallaby by the neck while Billie bit the animal. Ms Mollross said things including “Get it, go”, “Get it Billie, go”, “That’s it, go Billie go”, “Hold it Billie, hold it” and “You just ripped it out of my hands you fuck head”. The wallaby was trying to escape throughout the video.
The final video commenced at approximately 2:23am and continued from the previous video. Ms Mollross again kicked the wallaby, this time while it is being held by Billie. Ms Mollross stomped on its head before strangling it with one hand around the wallaby’s throat. She picked up the wallaby by the tail while it was held by Billie, causing the dog to thrash. Ms Mollross said “Good girl, go Billie”, “There’s a good girl”, “Billie, it’s not done, Billie kill it”, “Kill it Billie” and “Come on Billie, it’s still breathing”, “Kill it, good girl”, “Crush its windpipe”, “It’s mine Billie, it’s mine” and “Is it done?”. Blood is visible in this video.
The latter incident in the children’s play area was also captured on Dominic College CCTV, which shows Ms Mollross recording on her phone throughout.
The following morning, Dominic College staff were alerted to the presence of a dead wallaby on school grounds and blood spatter on hard surfaces next to the classrooms. They reviewed the CCTV and reported the matter to Tasmania Police and the Glenorchy City Council.
There are no relevant prior convictions and there are no significant mitigating circumstances. Alcohol and ignorance provide explanations of these egregious breaches of modern animal welfare attitudes and legislation.
In Bond v Lamprey [2022] TASSC 4 at [13]-[14], Brett J said at [15]:
“15 I am informed by counsel for the applicant that there is little in the way of comparative sentencing data in this jurisdiction for offences of this nature. Certainly, it is not possible to determine a tariff or range of sentencing for such offences. Cases from other jurisdictions reviewed by Hall J in Holding v Parkin demonstrate that sentences of imprisonment are regularly imposed in serious cases of animal cruelty but are not inevitable. In an unreported decision of Estcourt J: State of Tasmania v Jeffrey, 16 October 2018, his Honour observed that the significantly increased penalties provided by the Animal Welfare Act for cases of animal cruelty and aggravated animal cruelty, reflected changing community attitudes. His Honour said:
‘[21] Societal attitudes towards deliberate cruelty to animals has changed incrementally and very significantly over recent times. One can cite clear and changed attitudes towards whaling, battery hens, greyhound racing, animal slaughtering practices and live sheep exports.
[22] Aggravated cruelty such as that of the respondent greatly offends current community sensibilities, and not only is the principle of general deterrence engaged in such cases, but so in particular is the important principle of denunciation of the conduct. Denunciation in this case is paramount in sentencing, in my view.'”
Justice Brett continued:
“I respectfully agree with his Honour’s observations. It is submitted that both general deterrence and denunciation are the paramount sentencing considerations.”
More recently, Solomon J in King v WA Police [2024] WASC 72, after referring to the six relevant sentencing factors enumerated in Holding v Parkin [2012] WASC 113 at [41], said at [28]-[29]:
“…it seems to me that a further factor (which has some relevance to this case) (added words) might be whether the animal cruelty had some form (justified or not) of ancillary utility or constructive purpose or whether, on the other hand, it was done wantonly or gratuitously as an act of cruelty or recreation”.
This case involved wanton and gratuitous cruelty. Both defendants are convicted as charged.
I sentence the defendant Mollross to a single sentence of six months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended on the condition that she commit no offence punishable by imprisonment for a period of 18 months and, on the further condition that she complete a total of 98 hours of community service within that period of 18 months.
I sentence the defendant Blackaby to three months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended on the condition that he commit no offence punishable by imprisonment for a period of 18 months and, on the further condition that he complete a total of 49 hours of community service within that period of 18 months.
I note, for the record, that the maximum penalty pursuant to s 9(1) of the Act is $39,000 or five years’ imprisonment, or both.
Pursuant to s 43(1) of the Act, Ms Mollross and Mr Blackaby are disqualified from having custody of any dog or dogs for a period of 18 months.
Ms Mollross and Mr Blackaby, I direct that as soon as you leave here now, you report to Community Corrections at 75 Liverpool Street and advise them that you have been made subject to community service orders.