Elly Property Services boss of Cessnock whipper-sniper bird killer breaks his silence as shocking new details of horrific video revealed

A landscaper who was filmed allegedly killing a helpless native bird with a snipper before dumping it and its eggs in a bin has been ‘treated’ by his employers, his boss has claimed.

Shocking security footage apparently showed an employee of Elly Property Services using a snipper to tear apart a Swopping Plover outside a home in Beresfield, north-west of Newcastle, on November 14 last year.

He can be seen stomping on the badly injured bird’s head and dumping it in the trash before collecting his unhatched eggs and throwing them next to the bird’s tattered body.

The homeowner who recorded the footage released the clip on social media last week to spread the story just days before he entered palliative care with a terminal illness, a close friend told TheWSTNews Australia

The video went viral on social media and prompted a response from the company’s boss, Ian Elly, to deny he was guilty.

He said the RSPCA and the courts were investigating the incident and that his company had ‘dealt’ with the worker involved.

Ian Elly (pictured) said he and his family received threats of violence after being mistakenly identified as an employee

“I am the owner of this business,” he wrote under the homeowner’s video.

‘You know for sure that it was not me in this clip, you also know that we do not condone this act.

‘You are also aware that this is being investigated by the RSPCA, National Parks and Wildlife and the NSW courts since the incident last year in November.

‘We have helped all their investigations and still do if they need anything more from us.’

He added: ‘This incident is currently before the court to make a decision for the person involved, which I will remind you again is not myself.

“We are not involved in this matter at all and is a personal matter between the RSPCA, Parks and Wildlife and the NSW courts.”

He said he had been the victim of a vicious hate campaign from animal lovers since the video first emerged.

“I have received numerous threats of violence to myself and my family from your Facebook post with false information,” he said.

The homeowner said he had asked the gardeners to avoid the bird, which he had seen for several years when it returned to nest every summer.

He claimed that he had asked the workers not to mow the patches of grass with the bird and to leave it alone.

But the footage shows the staff member walking towards the bird, which tried to scare the gardener away from its nest before it was apparently torn to pieces by the whipper.

He and another employee were then seen disposing of the bird and a bundle of feathers torn by the tool.

The footage appears to show the employee (pictured) stomping on the critically injured bird’s head before appearing to dump it and the eggs it was protecting in a nearby bin

The homeowner called the RSPCA after the shocking discovery and an investigation into the incident was launched, which also found the bird’s eggs in the bin.

A spokesman for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) said they were ‘aware’ of the incident.

“NPWS … has been working with the RSPCA on the criminal investigation,” a spokesman said.

‘The online footage is shocking and extremely upsetting.’

Harming a resident animal is an offense that carries a maximum penalty of a $14,000 fine.

TheWSTNews Australia has contacted Mr Elly for comment.