Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
National
Robyn Wuth

Vegan activist had death threats: lawyer

Vegan activist Leah Ava Whetton (2nd from right) has received death threats, her lawyer says. (AAP)

A woman who breached strict biosecurity laws at two Darling Downs farms as part of a vegan protest has been targeted by death threats, a Brisbane court has been told.

Leah Ava Whetton, 30, pleaded guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday to two counts of trespass after more serious charges were downgraded.

Whetton was a member of the Meat the Victim animal rights group which broke into the large-scale piggery Cameron Pastoral, at Pittsworth, and Canningvale poultry farm Williams Eggs in 2018 and 2019.

The court heard she disregarded clearly signed biosecurity procedures and handled piglets and laying hens.

The court was told Whetton had a history of similar offences and her offences were "of a continual nature".

After the vegan raids, the activist's personal details have been released on social media, and she and her mother had received death threats.

"One of those was a phone call to cut off her fingers and her jaw broken," defence solicitor Lumme Rynderman told the court.

"Other than this offending which is grounded in her conscience, she has no criminal history."

Whetton was fined $1000 and no conviction was recorded.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.