A 16-year-old boy who forced vape fumes into the beak of a black swan before abandoning its body in bushland has been sentenced to a four-month youth community-based order in Western Australia.
The teenager pleaded guilty to two charges of causing unnecessary harm to an animal at Rockingham Children’s Court on Thursday, 3 September 2026.
The court heard he and a 13-year-old boy were travelling in an inflatable boat near Endeavour Island, in Mandurah south of Perth, in July when they found two swans, one of which had a fishing lure lodged in its neck.
The older boy removed the lure but then pushed an electronic cigarette towards the bird’s beak and blew vapour into it. The younger boy was alleged to have slapped the swan on the head.
One of the birds later became unresponsive. The 16-year-old dumped its body in bushland near a conservation park, where police found a large carcass and black feathers several weeks later.
Footage of the incident was posted online and widely shared. The older boy’s lawyer told the court he had been showing off to his younger companion and described the behaviour as “a really stupid and impulsive thing to do”.
The lawyer also said the teenager had become preoccupied with social media “streaks”, a tally of consecutive daily interactions between users, and that the activity had grown increasingly daring.
The defence sought to have the hearing held behind closed doors, arguing that the boy and his family had faced intense public anger after the footage circulated. Magistrate Andrée Horrigan refused the application, saying members of the public, rather than the media, had identified the teenager.
Sentencing, Magistrate Horrigan described the incident as a “graphic, awful error in judgement” and said the use of the vape was “extraordinary”. She urged the boy to reflect on his actions, grow up and mature.
The court heard the teenager had no previous convictions or history of animal cruelty and came from a supportive home. The co-accused 13-year-old is due to be sentenced later in September.
RSPCA WA chief operating officer Hannah Dreaver said the incident was extremely serious and that the organisation was alarmed by cases of cruelty of this nature.
