An elderly woman accused of torturing and mutilating birds has insisted she wasn't cruel to the animals as she faced court for allegedly crushing a pelican's wing in her car and mutilating a magpie.
Brenda Dorothy Marney, 73, faces numerous animal cruelty charges after police raided her home in Tuncurry, on the NSW mid-north coast, earlier this month.
Marney appeared in Foster Local Court on Wednesday, claiming she had done nothing and it was all a misunderstanding.
She formally pleaded not guilty to a total of 10 charges, including committing acts of aggravated cruelty on a baby pelican and an adult pelican.
Brenda Dorothy Marney, 73, faces numerous animal cruelty charges after police raided her home in Tuncurry, on the NSW mid-north coast, earlier this month
Brenda Marney is accused of torturing and mutilating birds (pictured, birds at her home)
She is accused of inflicting pain on one pelican by crushing its left wing in her car boot; failing to provide vet treatment to an injured magpie; not having a licence to keep wildlife at her Tuncurry home; and possessing protected animals - namely two magpies and one rainbow lorikeet.
Outside court before her matter was mentioned, Marney said she had done nothing wrong.
Asked what she thought of the charges, she said: 'Shocked. I can't believe it. Everyone in the area knows me. All the vets know me. Things have got out of hand. There was no cruelty.'
Marney said she was only trying to help a pelican which had a hook in its wing when police were called.
She refused to comment upon leaving court after getting legal advice.
Police claim Marney was spotted by members of the public grabbing a pelican after feeding it fish and bundling it into her boot, slamming the lid shut on its wing, on April 27.
She let the injured animal go as police approached and a later search of her home allegedly found extensive evidence of animal torture.
Marney appeared in Foster Local Court on Wednesday, claiming she had done nothing and the charges against her resulted from a misunderstanding
