North Otago shearer sentenced for ill-treating seven lambs
Wednesday 21 October 2026 · 4 outlets · 4 reports · updated In this story Ministry for Primary Industries, PETA
Damian Fraser, 37, has been sentenced to two months’ home detention in the Oamaru District Court. He pleaded guilty to seven charges of ill-treating sheep under the Animal Welfare Act. The offences, which included dropping and stomping on lambs, were captured on video footage.
Key facts
5 facts
- Damian Walter David Fraser, 37, sentenced to two months' home detention
- Sentencing occurred in Oamaru District Court on Wednesday
- Seven charges of ill-treatment under the Animal Welfare Act
- Investigation prompted by 560 hours of PETA video footage provided in December 2024
- Abuse occurred at shearing sheds in Otago
The full story
1 min read · 4 outlets
Damian Walter David Fraser, 37, has been sentenced to two months’ home detention in the Oamaru District Court. He pleaded guilty to seven charges of ill-treatment under the Animal Welfare Act.
The charges followed a nationwide Ministry for Primary Industries investigation triggered by 560 hours of video footage provided by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in December 2024. Footage from Otago shearing sheds showed Fraser striking a lamb in the face with a shearing handpiece and stomping on an animal.
In another instance, Fraser deliberately dropped a lamb on its head on a hard wooden floor, then swung the animal so it hit the floor head-first a second time. He then held the lamb in a manner that restricted its airway.
A veterinarian reviewing the footage stated the lamb appeared to lose consciousness and that the abuse caused "unnecessary pain and distress". MPI regional investigations manager Gerry Anderson said, "This is unacceptable and falls well short of our expectations".
Fraser is the second person sentenced following this investigation. Another shearer received six months’ community detention and 12 months’ supervision, while two others remain before the courts facing charges.
Compiled from reports by The Press, Stuff, NZ Herald and Otago Daily Times.
