A New South Wales man who admitted to poaching several rare snakes from a rainforest national park in Far North Queensland has been fined and given a suspended prison term.
Clinton Spiteri, 48, was sentenced in the Cairns Magistrates Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to six charges related to the capture and removal of protected green tree pythons, and two charges related to the unlawful taking of two brown tree snakes.
The court heard Spiteri and two others went to Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park in Cape York Peninsula, 750 kilometres from Cairns, between December 27, 2024, and January 1, 2025.
Rangers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and police later found the snakes and snake hooks after receiving a tip-off, the court heard.
The snakes were returned to the wild, unharmed.
‘Direct attack’ on country
The vibrant, striking green tree python is protected under Australian law and considered “near threatened”.
The species is endemic to parts of tropical Far North Queensland, Papua New Guinea and some Indonesian islands.
A compliance manager from Queensland’s Environment Department has estimated a green tree python can fetch up to $50,000 on the black market if smuggled to Europe or the Philippines.
However, Magistrate Jakub Lodziak said the price could be as low as $350 if the pythons were traded legally in Australia.
Brown tree snakes are also protected native wildlife but their conservation status is considered of “least concern”.
Kuuku Ya’u rangers release one of the seized green tree pythons on Cape York. (Supplied: QPWS)
During sentencing, Magistrate Lodziak said Spiteri’s actions were particularly aggravating because of the impact on traditional owners who considered the snake culturally significant.
He read a statement from Kuuku Ya’u Aboriginal Corporation director Colin Pascoe, who said “the illegal poaching of green tree snakes is a direct attack on the balance of our country”.
“These pythons play a pivotal role in maintaining the health of the rainforest ecosystem, controlling the populations of other species, and ensuring harmony in the natural world,” Mr Pascoe’s statement read.
Community ‘denounces’ offending
Spiteri, who represented himself in court, was fined $30,000, ordered to pay court costs and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for 12 months.
Before handing down his sentence, Magistrate Lodziak asked Spiteri if a recorded conviction would impact his employment or wellbeing, to which Spiteri said “nah”.
“Does you employer know about these charges?” Magistrate Lodziak asked.
“Yeah, some do,” Â Mr Spiteri said.
The green tree python is endemic to Far North Queensland and other neighbouring countries, such as Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. (Flickr: Josh More Licence CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The court heard Mr Spiteri had previously been sentenced to a 12-month conditional order for similar offences in New South Wales.
Magistrate Lodziak said the sentence was to deter Spiteri and others from committing similar offences and “make it clear that the community … denounces the sort of conduct in which he was involved”.
Spiteri’s co-accused, Buddy Leigh Pogmore and Sarah Castle Leach, are facing the same eight charges.
They are yet to enter pleas and due to face court at a later date.