Qld possum-torturer sanctions 'inadequate'

The RSPCA has accused a Queensland magistrate of being out of tune with her colleagues after two possum-torturers were let off on 12-months' probation.

Callum Gibson McKenzie and Hunter Lawrence Jonasen, both 17, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates Court to animal cruelty on Friday but escaped punishment.

The duo ran over the animal on Christmas Day last year, snapping its spine, before uploading footage to Snapchat of the possum trying to crawl away with its entrails hanging out.

Magistrate Suzette Coates admitted the pair was effectively saved from heavier punishment after being targeted by hacktivist group Anonymous, which had published their personal details online, prompting "vile, vicious" abuse.

RSPCA Queensland CEO Mark Townend said Ms Coates failed to take animal cruelty seriously and was at odds with her colleagues.

"The possum crawled away to die a lingering death while the perpetrators laughed and posted their heroic deed on social media," he said.

"Forget about being vilified.

"They were the ones who put it out there in the first place."

The court heard McKenzie and Jonasen, who were ordered to pay $339.80 each in costs, had constructed wooden boxes for wildlife groups to use as possum shelters after they gained notoriety.