Cruelty charges for Aussie who ‘bit head’ off live rat

[Powerage]

Cruelty charges for Aussie who ‘bit head’ off live rat

Twenty-four year old man killed rodent, downed three shots of vodka and was then punched in face before telling viewers to “beat that”

PUBLISHED : Monday, 07 March, 2016, 9:53pm
UPDATED : Monday, 07 March, 2016, 9:53pm

Agence France-Presse in Brisbane

Mattew Maloney filmed himself biting the head off a live rat and then eating it. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A man known as “Mad Matt” appeared in an Australian court on Monday after filming himself allegedly biting the head off a live rat and posting the video on Facebook.

Matthew Maloney, 24, was charged with animal cruelty following a raid by animal investigators after the bizarre stunt in January.

He appeared briefly in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, making no plea, with the case adjourned until April 6, a court official said.

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The video shows Maloney storming into a room, allegedly biting off the rat’s head and washing it down with three shots of vodka. He then gets punched in the face and has a chair broken over his back before saying “beat that”.

The clip, which remains on his “Mad Matts vids” Facebook page and has been viewed more than 230,000 times, was reportedly an attempt to create a disturbing new social-media challenge.

After a string of comments branding him disgusting, Maloney posted a reply.

“All your comments are cracking me up and not one person out there will be able to say anything that will make me feel bad or make me regret what I did,” he wrote. “Its mother nature and man’s gotta eat!”