Holmes was led away in handcuffs after being sentenced to 15 months in jail, with the possibility of parole after eight months.
Magistrate Roger Clisdell cited Holmes’ apparent lack of remorse and the gravity of his actions as reasons for considering him a significant threat to public safety.
As a result, the magistrate felt compelled to issue an immediate prison sentence, according to court testimonies.
“The kangaroo had to be put down,” stated the magistrate, emphasizing the severe distress Holmes inflicted upon the animal.
“Such actions are utterly deplorable,” he added.
According to documents submitted to the court, Holmes discovered a female kangaroo around 7 a.m. on April 13, 2025, struggling near the fence line of his rural property in Bywong, located in New South Wales’ Southern Tablelands region.
Nine hours later, he returned to the scene and tied a nylon rope around the animal’s neck, attaching the other end to his vehicle before dragging the roo 400 metres down the road.
Holmes detached the rope, but left a fastened ligature around the kangaroo’s neck.
The animal was still alive but severely deformed when a woman discovered it and called Wildcare, an animal rescue organisation.
The kangaroo suffered severe lacerations to its rib and hip area, consistent with being dragged along a road, court documents state.
It died shortly after being taken by rescuers.
Police were called and inspected the embankment, finding tyre marks mixed with blood and rope at the scene.
Officers went to the home on the property and spoke to Holmes, who made full admissions to the offence and showed no remorse, the court heard.
He told police he moved the animal so it “wouldn’t die on his property” and attract maggots, describing kangaroos generally as “complete vermin” and “jumping rats”.
“He simply thinks kangaroos have no rights … no entitlement to treatment,” Clisdell said of the offender.
The magistrate said Holmes had hours to call a rescue organisation, but instead chose cruelty against an animal he considered a “pest”.
“He has made admissions, but he’s not sorry about it. That gives me the very strong impression that he would do it again,” Clisdell said.
A photograph of the kangaroo showed the severity of the injuries, with a large portion of its fur stripped off its side.
Wildcare Queanbeyan micropod co-ordinator Natalie Patrick said the sentence was a “huge win” for animal rights.
“His custodial sentence will hopefully deter other people from committing these senseless acts of cruelty and torture against wildlife,” she told AAP.
The offender will become eligible for parole in October.
