A young married couple on the NSW South Coast has been charged with bestiality offences involving a horse and border collie dog, including filming the interactions.
Police allege Joel Kerim, 29, and Mikayla Kerim, 26, committed the offences at their rural property on a 17-year-old mare called Gemma and a 14-month-old border collie called Ekko.
Officers were tipped off when Ms Kerim handed police a video of her husband allegedly assaulting the mare near their hay shed while standing on a chair, reports The Saturday Telegraph.
Police allege the couple's relationship ‘soured' in early 2023 when Mr Kerim requested his wife have sex with the border collie, leading her to contact them.
Videos were allegedly sent by Mr Kerim to his wife of himself having sex with the mare on three occasions.
Joel and Mikayla Kerim (pictured) have been charged with besitiality offences against a horse and a dog at the rural NSW south coast property
Police were allegedly tipped off by Ms Kerim who contacted police after the pair's relationship ‘soured'
During the police investigation statements were gathered from Ms Kerim, other family members, and a vet who examined the mare.
Detectives then executed a search warrant last Tuesday on the farm in which they seized electronic storage devices and escorted Mr Kerim to the station for an interview.
Mr Kerim has been charged with five counts of bestiality and possess and disseminate bestiality material.
He was granted conditional bail to appear at court in February.
Late last week police then also charged Ms Kerim, now alleging she had also participated in some of the offending with both the mare and the border collie and sent videos to her husband.
Ms Kerim was charged with one count of bestiality, two counts of producing bestiality material and two counts of disseminating bestiality material.
She was also granted conditional bail to front court in February.
Up until 2021, possessing or sharing bestiality videos was not a crime in NSW.
The change in the law was due to a sustained campaign by NSW Animal Justice Party MLC Emma Hurst.
Up until 2021, possessing or sharing bestiality videos was not a crime in NSW. The change in the law was due to a sustained campaign by NSW Animal Justice Party MLC Emma Hurst (pictured)
A similar push is underway in Victoria where it is yet to be criminalised.
Ms Hurst is also responsible for a number of other improvements around animal protection laws including raising criminal penalties for animal abuse and including pets on domestic violence orders.
She and her team have also successfully campaigned to amend the Working with Children Check to ensure those convicted of animal abuse cannot be cleared.
