Somali Man admits slaughtering four goats on a housing estate

A man slaughtered four baby goats in a house on a busy housing estate, a court heard yesterday.

Rashid Kibaga, 23, pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty to animals in the Balloonagh Estate, Tralee, Co Kerry, last April.

The asylum seeker, originally from Mogadishu in Somalia and a devout Muslim, had also pleaded guilty at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee to using the house as an abattoir, when it was not licensed as such. Kibaga, 23, also admitted a third count of failing to ensure the animals didn’t suffer.

Judge Carroll Moran imposed a one-year suspended prison sentence for cruelly torturing, terrifying and killing the goats contrary to Section 1 protection of Animals Act 1911.

Outlining the evidence to prosecutor Tom Rice, investigating Garda Patricia Fitzpatrick told how at around 3.30pm gardai received a complaint from residents of the estate about “goats screaming and in pain”.

Gardai, dog wardens and animal welfare inspectors went to a house owned and occupied by an Irish national and found three foreign nationals present, including the accused.

The other non-Irish were from asylum centre Atlas House, in Tralee.

They found four goat carcasses – two of which had been skinned and lying in a shopping trolley.

During an interview, Kibaga readily admitted cutting the throats of the goats while a friend held them down.

He said this was part of his religion and the preparation of Halal meat.

Kibaga did not know this was illegal in Ireland.

Animal welfare inspector Harry McDaid told gardai the goats would have been terrified and in pain.

He had found three cuts on the goats throats – the first cut would not have worked and it took a number of attempts to cut their throats successfully.

Judge Moran warned: “If he does this again he is probably going to go to prison.

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“I respect his religious beliefs, but the law of Ireland has to be observed. This is a serious matter and I have to impose a prison sentence which I will suspend.”

The judge added that if he stayed out of trouble, that would be the end of the matter and Kibaga was bound to the peace for two years.

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