THE Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has reinforced its commitment to protecting animal welfare, following the sentencing of a Queensland man for multiple offences under the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 (the Act).
Samuel James Fuller, a South East Queensland horse trader, was sentenced in the Ipswich Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to 35 offences relating to breaches of Queensland’s animal welfare laws.
The offences included 26 counts of breach of duty of care, eight counts of breach of duty of care causing prolonged suffering, and one count of breach of duty of care causing serious disability.
The offending primarily involved horses, with a small number of offences relating to dogs.
Fuller’s offences span several months from November 2023 until March 2025, with the later offences committed while he was on bail.
The most serious of the offences was the breach of duty of care causing serious disability, which related to a horse with a significant, untreated injury to its leg.
This horse was humanely euthanised due to its injury, and a further 20 horses were also humanely euthanised due to their condition.
