High-profile angler at centre of Tasmania’s live trout sex scandal vows to clear his name over sick bestiality allegations

EXCLUSIVE

A renowned Tasmanian fisherman accused of filming his female partner as he pleasured her with a live fish will fight charges of producing and possessing bestiality material.

Ashley David Hallam’s alleged camerawork made global headlines last year after the vision made its way to social media and quickly went viral under the tag ‘Aussie Trout Lady’.

An international outrage led to both Hallam and his partner, Catherine June Lee, being charged with a series of bestiality crimes over the vulgar video.

Police claim the footage shows Lee lying on her back on a boat while Hallam performs a sex act on her with a live brown trout.

“This is how you catch a trout,” you hear a male voice say in the video.

The embarrassing scandal created by the disturbing video – and the subsequent criminal charges – appears to have put a strain on the couple’s relationship.

Hallam appeared alone at the Hobart Magistrates Court on Friday and faced two charges of making or reproducing a bestiality product and three charges of possessing a bestiality product between February 2022 and January 25, 2023.

The award-winning fisherman, who was once a regular feature of Tasmania’s fishing columns and blogs, sat quietly alone in the state courthouse before entering courtroom number five just after 10am.

He did not respond when the court first called his co-accused, Lee, at her home in Howden, on the outskirts of Hobart, after magistrate Marcia Duvnjak agreed to let her appear by phone.

“Hello, this is Catherine,” the 58-year-old said cheerfully when she answered, before changing to a more somber tone after being asked to confirm her identity in court.

Lee was expected to enter a plea to two counts of making or reproducing a bestiality product and another of possessing one, but instead requested a further adjournment.

Moments after the phone call ended, Hallam, wearing a navy blue blazer and cream trousers, was summoned to appear before Magistrate Duvnjak and stood as his lawyer pleaded not guilty to one charge of possession of bestiality and the others to its possession.

The prosecutor dropped the remaining charges against him because they were “duplicates,” and also dropped the second charge of making or reproducing bestiality against Lee for the same reason.

The couple’s cases were recorded separately for further mention on January 15, when the magistrate indicated that a date would be set for Hallam’s trial.

The 55-year-old refused to discuss his fight to clear his name with Daily Mail Australia as he left court, saying only: “We’ll see what happens… cheers, thanks for that.”

Hallam then walked around the courthouse and waited patiently in a nearby cemetery before his sister, prominent Tasmanian real estate agent Anastasia Hallam, picked him up in her work car.

After driving to a nearby shopping center, the property portfolio manager went to stock up on supplies – including a box of wine from a BWS bottle shop – while her brother remained in the car.

They then drove to the home of a fishing friend in Herdsman Cove, about 20 kilometers north of the Tasmanian capital’s CBD, where Hallam changed out of his courtroom clothes and into a black T-shirt and jeans in the front yard.

After a quick chat with their partner, the siblings soon hit the road again for the long drive back to Hallam’s home on the other side of the island state.

Many of Hallam and Lee’s friends have distanced themselves in the wake of the bestiality allegations, with Daily Mail Australia previously revealing they are both widely shunned within Tasmania’s strong fishing community.

Family friends said Hallam’s father David, a highly regarded local fisherman, was shocked to hear of the allegations in the months before his death.

The Tuna Club of Tasmania had paid tribute to the family’s distinguished relationship with the employee ahead of a memorial service for Hallam’s late father on January 18.

“On behalf of the president and members, the Tuna Club of Tasmania extends our condolences to the family of David Hallam,” the club said in an announcement on its official Facebook page before the ceremony.

‘David was a former president and an extremely active competitor of the [Tuna Club of Tasmania] for many years.

‘During this time he passionately took part in club competition with his family Rebecca and Ashley.

“The Hallam family’s success is a highlight in the deep history of our club.”

But just six months later, in August, the ‘family-oriented club’ strongly denied any ongoing connection with the accused fisherman or his partner.

“Ashley Hallam and Catherine Lee have absolutely no involvement with the club and are not members,” a spokesperson for the Tuna Club of Tasmania told Daily Mail Australia.

“And they haven’t had any involvement with the club in the last 30 years.”

The public condemnation comes after Lee’s former vet clinic employer also took steps to distance itself from the alleged fish abusers after the sick vision first went viral last January.

“Dear valued customers, pets and supporters of Kingston Animal Hospital,” clinic owner Dr. Chris Lee told customers in an online announcement.

‘It has come to my attention recently that a former employee of the hospital has recently been the subject of attention [allegedly] featured in a video widely circulated on social media.

“Please understand that this individual is no longer a paid employee, has not worked at Kingston Animal Hospital for over five years and as a full-time employee for over ten years.

“I would like to apologize for any distress this matter may have caused you.”