A north Dunedin man has pleaded guilty to stabbing a miniature horse to death in the seaside village of Waitaiti.
On Tuesday 50-year-old Reginald Ozanne admitted a charge of wilfully ill-treating an animal.
Ozanne stabbed the horse named Star in February 2019. He suffered 41 stab wounds to his back, neck and throat.
Star was rushed into a five-hour surgery but died as a result of his injuries.
The vet who treated the horse described the wounds as "a frenzied attack".
"I've been in practice for 39 years and I've never seen anything like this," Peter Gillespie told Newshub at the time.
A vigil was held for Star, with his owner telling Otago Daily Times it was to "lift the bad juju" in the area.
"People have been coming to me saying they're scared and panicked, talking about moving away," Mandy Mayhem-Bullock said in 2019.
Ozanne has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced in May.
