Tom Quach: The man who decapitated and cooked IBIS learns of his fate
- The man who killed and tried to cook an ibis bird has been jailed
- Tom Quach appeared in court with a dish towel on his head.
- He pleaded guilty to torturing an animal and animal cruelty.
A man has been jailed for capturing an ibis in a public park and killing it before attempting to cook the native bird for consumption.
Tom Quach appeared in Waverley Local Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to torturing an animal to death, two counts of committing cruelty to an animal and three counts of harming an animal.
The court was told that he captured an ibis, affectionately known as a “garbage chicken” in a Sydney park in May before stuffing it into his rucksack and heading back to his home in eastern Sydney.
The 60-year-old then decapitated the native bird and hung it in the shower to dry before attempting to cook it.
Earlier this year, he was arrested after a video of him trying to stuff another distressed ibis into his backpack went viral.
The man who tried to cook and ibis, Tom Quach (pictured), appeared in court with a dish towel over his head on Wednesday.
The Maroubra man had tied a rope around the bird’s legs and neck and was trying to force it into a red suitcase near Eastwood train station.
Members of the public intervened and were able to take the bird from the man. He had an injured beak and was bleeding, but he flew away, according to witnesses.
Quach’s lawyer previously told the court that the Vietnamese national was confused about the protection status of the ibis, having previously captured and eaten the bird in Queensland.
Quach also pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited drug and three counts of larceny.
Curiously, she wore a tea towel tied around her head with a green headband as she awaited her fate for all ten crimes.
The court heard that the 60-year-old man had previously been jailed for dishonesty matters and had continued to commit crimes, mainly stealing food.
Quach was caught on video trying to kidnap an ibis and stuff it into his backpack in a public area
The Maroubra man pleaded guilty to torturing an animal to death, two counts of committing cruelty to an animal and three counts of harming an animal.
His lawyer, Hayley Le, said Quach had “less moral culpability than others” due to a mental health condition and a “very serious drug problem on which he spends most of his pension.”
He argued that more time behind bars would only serve to further incapacitate his client.
Justice Michael Price disagreed, criticizing Quach for his flagrant and persistent disregard for the law.
“Obviously there seems to be little effort on their part to address this crime that wastes the resources of stores and police,” he said.
‘Crimes reveal an inability on your part to fulfill your obligations in a civilized society.’
However, the magistrate said that crimes of animal cruelty against ibis were “more worrying”.
Judge Price sentenced the 60-year-old man to six months behind bars for the crimes of animal cruelty and the crimes of shoplifting.
“Whatever opinion you have of those kinds of birds, it’s serious business to deal with those birds the way you do,” Quach chided.
‘You just can’t treat animals like that.’
Judge Price sentenced the 60-year-old man to six months behind bars for the crimes of animal cruelty and the crimes of shoplifting.
He will be eligible for release on February 8, 2024.
Quach was also fined $600 for damaging ibis, which does not carry a jail term.
