A shocking animal cruelty case out of Mount Barker, South Australia, has exposed the horrific neglect 30 cats and two dogs endured at the hands of local couple Kelly and Matthew De La Haye, who this week received sentencing after pleading guilty to 24 separate counts of animal ill-treatment.
The case unfolded after officials from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) South Australia launched an investigation into the couple’s three-bedroom residential property. When RSPCA inspectors first arrived at the home, they were immediately overwhelmed by the thick, putrid stench of accumulated animal waste. Body-worn camera footage and official photos captured by inspectors lay bare the full scale of the unsanitary conditions the animals were forced to endure: feces and pooled urine covered nearly every surface, caking flooring, walls, and door frames across all rooms of the home.
Of the animals found on the property, many showed clear signs of severe neglect and untreated illness. Some cats were visibly emaciated and unwell, with most suffering from untreated conditions including cat flu, conjunctivitis, and advanced dental disease, several of which required urgent surgical intervention. Three young kittens were found entirely coated in diarrhea from their legs to their backs, and when questioned, Kelly De La Haye admitted she had known the three kittens had been ill for months but had never booked a veterinary appointment for them. Only six of the 32 animals removed from the property had been desexed, in violation of South Australia’s Dog and Cat Management Act.
Following the inspection, 28 cats were voluntarily surrendered by De La Haye, while the remaining two cats and two dogs were legally seized by the organization. All animals were transported to RSPCA SA’s dedicated animal care campus in O’Halloran Hill for urgent veterinary assessment and care. Unfortunately, the severe neglect left some animals with irreversible health complications: one animal died of natural causes related to its poor condition, and four others required humane euthanasia to end their unmanageable suffering. Twenty-seven of the rescued animals were able to recover with treatment and have since been adopted into new, loving homes.
Speaking after the sentencing, Andrea Lewis, head of animal welfare at RSPCA SA, expressed disappointment that the couple failed to take action to improve the deadly conditions in their home before the investigation. “It is disappointing this couple didn’t address their squalid and unhygienic conditions, as it jeopardized the health and wellbeing of the animals in their care,” Lewis said. She also used the case to issue a critical public reminder to prospective pet owners: “We seriously urge people to only commit to pets that they have the resources to adequately care for, and desex their animals, as required by law under the dog and cat management act.”
At a hearing held at Mount Barker Magistrates Court on Thursday, Magistrate Oliver Koehn handed down the court’s sentence. The couple were each issued a two-year good behavior bond requiring a $200 security deposit, and ordered to pay $6,672 each in victim of crime levies. In addition to the financial penalties, Koehn issued a permanent ban preventing the De La Hayes from owning any kind of pet in the future, unless the court issues a subsequent order reversing the ban. All animals originally in the couple’s care were formally forfeited to the RSPCA to complete their recovery and adoption process.