Arabic version: حكم مجتمعي بحق مراهق بسبب نفث بخار السيجارة الإلكترونية على بجعات سوداء

According to ABC News, a 16-year-old boy has received a four-month community-based order after pleading guilty to two charges of causing an animal unnecessary harm involving black swans near Mandurah, south of Perth.

The children’s court in Rockingham heard the teenager and another boy were travelling in an inflatable boat near Endeavour Island when they saw a swan with a fishing lure lodged in its neck. The accused removed the lure after bringing the bird aboard, then blew vapour from his vape into its beak.

A second charge involved another swan. The court heard one bird was allegedly slapped and became unresponsive. The accused discarded the swan in nearby bushland, where police found a large carcass and black feathers weeks later. The other child, accused of slapping a swan, has not yet entered a plea.

The boy’s lawyer said he had been showing off to a younger friend and had an obsession with Snapchat “streaks”, a tally of daily interactions on the platform. The lawyer said he had apologised, called his actions stupid and impulsive, and wished he could take them back.

Magistrate Andrée Horrigan described the use of a vape as “extraordinary” and called the conduct a “graphic, awful error in judgement”. The court heard the boy had no prior convictions or history of animal cruelty. The magistrate urged him to learn from his choices and urged WA police to investigate online commentary that identified him.