A flower-eating goat named Gary has been cleared of vandalism after an Australian judge dismissed the case at a court in Sydney.
His owner Jim Dezarnaulds had been ordered to pay a 440 Australian dollar (£290) fine after Gary was spotted snacking on a flower bed outside the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
The case was dismissed however, after a judge ruled that neither Gary nor his owner could be held accountable for the crime.
Magistrate Carolyn Barkell said there was no evidence that Gary, who had his own lawyer, had been brought there to intentionally eat the flowers.
‘This is actually an abuse of the laws of nature, I mean it was a goat eating grass,’ Mr Dezarnaulds said after the verdict was announced.
‘I’m a comedian, I can come up with jokes, but it’s pretty hard to compete with cops coming up with this stuff.
‘It’s obviously a joke, but the fact that we’re here it’s gone a bit beyond a joke.’
Gary, who was not required to give evidence, did not comment on the verdict upon leaving court.
Mr Dezarnaulds added: ‘Gary taught the cops a valuable lesson and that’s don’t bite off more than you can chew.’
Gary became an internet star after news of his plight went viral, with his official Facebook page racking up over 10,000 likes.
