- Dog died after being thrown off a cliff
- Kaylah Williams has been accused of animal abuse crimes
A mother accused of throwing a dog to death over a cliff while it was trapped inside its kennel has appeared in court for the first time to deny the charge.
Kaylah Williams, 34, allegedly threw Zoe, the Australian Bulldog, over a cliff in bushland near Clive Bissell Drive in Mount Ousley in Wollongong on January 21, 2023.
The dog survived the fall and was found alive at the base of the rock face the next morning, but succumbed to her injuries.
On Tuesday, Williams kept her head down and focused on her phone as she walked into Wollongong Local Court wearing a face mask and a coffee in hand.
Appearing before Magistrate Claire Girotto, Williams’ lawyer announced that he would plead not guilty and asked for a six-week adjournment.
Magistrate Girotto accepted the request and relisted the case for a hearing next month.
Kaylah Williams, 34 (pictured), has been charged with allegedly torturing a dog.
She is pictured outside Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday as she appeared in court for the first time since she was charged.
Williams is pictured going through a security check as he entered court Tuesday.
Outside court, Williams kept his head down as he refused to answer reporters’ questions, including what happened to the dog, who the owner was and what the defense would be.
The young mother was arrested at her Horsley home in Wollongong on April 12, marking the end of a 12-month long investigation by police.
The alleged abuse was discovered after a hiker hiking Mount Ousley heard howling and tracked them to an inverted kennel at the foot of the cliff.
The man called the police, who went to the scene with specialized officers from the police rescue team, the bomb disposal unit and members of the SES who were able to carry out the difficult rescue operation.
The dog was emaciated, in poor health and was suffering from injuries sustained in the fall.
She was taken to a local veterinarian, but had to be euthanized due to her poor condition and injuries.
Police seized the kennel for forensic examination and launched an investigation to find the owner before accusing Williams of torture, beatings, etc. and causing the death of the animal.
Zoe the Australian bulldog, like the one shown here in an archive image, was discovered alive at the base of the rock face the next morning, but later died from her injuries.
Williams is pictured running errands in the Wollongong area last month.
Police allege he threw the dog off the cliff sometime in the afternoon of January 21, 2023 and the early morning hours of January 22, 2023.
Last month, Daily Mail Australia revealed that Williams is a young mother originally from Wellington, a small rural town of just over 4,000 people in the Central Western Slopes region of New South Wales.
On social media, she describes herself as a “full-time mom” who “loves to have fun all the time.”
“No one is perfect and no one deserves to be perfect,” says one of his posts.
“No one has it easy, everyone has problems. You never know what people are going through. So pause before you start judging, criticizing or making fun of others.
‘Everyone is fighting their own war!’
If convicted, Williams faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
He is due to appear at Wollongong Local Court on June 25.
Kaylah Williams is due to appear at Wollongong Local Court on June 25.
The dog was found at the base of a cliff near Clive Bissell Drive (pictured) in Mount Ousley.
