Richard Arends and Rachael Third: Edmund Station owners stand trial over WA’s biggest livestock rustling bust

A Gascoyne pastoralist accused of one of WA’s biggest cattle-rustling heists made a racist slur in a text message while saying he could not “wait to steal” more from a struggling Indigenous-owned station, a court has been told. The shocking allegation was one of many made during the State’s opening address on day one of the criminal trial of Richard Arends and his partner Rachel Third in the District Court on Tuesday. The Edmund Station pair were charged by the rural crime squad in February 2021 with stealing hundreds of cattle, valued at more than $800,000, from four stations and selling them under their own mark. News of the heist, WA’s biggest ever cattle-rustling bust, sent shock waves through WA’s livestock industry. Mr Arends, 46, has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of stealing and six of property laundering, with Ms Third, 40, pleading not guilty in relation to six charges of stealing and six of property laundering. On Tuesday, State prosecutor Chung-Wai Chu said one of the charges against Mr Arends involved him bragging to a friend about selling 1400 cattle in 2020 — 600 more than expected. Mr Chu said that when Mr Arends was asked how he had achieved such a feat, he joked about “getting his tax back” and taking dozens of cattle from neighbouring Maroonah and Mangaroon stations — then-owned by the Buurabalayji Thalanyji Aboriginal Corporation. The two stations were struggling financially and were mere weeks away from collapsing into administration. Mr Arends and Ms Third allegedly put their own ear tags and cut their own ear marks on the cattle. In a phone conversation intercepted by police, Mr Arends was asked if he had ever been caught changing brands. “No, I don’t change brands. I change earmarks,” he said. In another call, police claim that Mr Arends told a cattle transporter that he could take as many animals from the haul as he wanted, adding: “It’s not like we paid for them anyway.” The court was told that in December 2020, Mr Arends was asked whether he had done “any poaching of the black fellas’ property this year”. He replied: “Yes, we did actually.” Mr Chu said it was “an admission” by Mr Arends and that he went on to tell a friend that he had pinched at least $200,000 worth of cattle. “There’s no question he was talking about Mangaroon and Maroonah,” Mr Chu told the jury. In another phone call, Mr Arends told Ms Third about a plan to “fill up” a truck with cattle that had broken through a boundary fence and into their station. Mr Arends said the cattle were “blue taggers” — a reference to Maroonah and Mangaroon stations. Mr Arends and Ms Third also allegedly took part in five separate thefts of Mardie Station cattle, as well as mustering feral cattle that had wandered near or onto the station from vacant Crown land. The court was told that within the livestock industry it was common practice for feral cattle — unmarked and not owned by anyone — to be sold by the station that had rounded them up. Mr Chu said that on four occasions, the proceeds from the sales of the stolen cattle were paid into Ms Third’s account, and that it was she who allegedly used her equipment and tags to earmark the allegedly stolen animals, and signed falsified transport documents. The court was also told that between October and November 2019, Mr Arends stole 158 cattle from Wanna Station that had wandered onto Crown land at Karijini National Park. Mr Chu said that Mr Arends also stole a shed still in a flat-pack from Juna Downs Station, owned by Rio Tinto. Mr Arends’ barrister, former attorney-general Christian Porter, and Ms Third’s barrister, Seamus Rafferty SC, are expected to give their opening statements on Wednesday.