A North Otago shearer who admitted physically abusing lambs stomped on one animal and deliberately dumped another on its head causing “unnecessary pain and distress”.

Damian Walter David Fraser (37) was caught on video abusing seven lambs while shearing them.

His offending came to light when animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals provided 560 hours of video footage of sheep being abused by shearers to the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Footage captured at shearing sheds in Otago showed Fraser striking a lamb in the face with his shearing handpiece and stomping on an animal.

Other footage showed Fraser deliberately dropping a lamb on its head onto the hard wooden floor.

That lamb was then lifted, swung and it hit the floor a second time on its head. Fraser then held that animal in a way that restricted its airway.

A veterinarian who viewed the video footage told MPI the animal appeared to lose consciousness before being sent down the chute and that the abuse of lambs would have caused “unnecessary pain and distress to them”.

Fraser admitted seven charges of ill-treatment of sheep under the Animal Welfare Act following a successful prosecution by MPI.

He was sentenced to two months’ home detention in Oamaru District Court on Wednesday.

MPI regional manager investigations central and south Gerry Anderson said Fraser’s prosecution was the second to come as a result of a thorough investigation.

“Our team spent thousands of hours studying video footage of shearing operations, and Mr Fraser was identified deliberately abusing lambs on seven occasions. This is unacceptable and falls well short of our expectations.”

Another shearer identified in the PETA video footage has already been sentenced to six months’ community detention and 12 months’ supervision.

Two other shearers are still before the court and are facing charges under the Animal Welfare Act.

- Allied media