A man was fined RM20,000 by the Magistrate’s Court here today after pleading guilty to beating a dog to death two weeks ago.
Magistrate Anis Hanini Abdullah also ordered 23-year-old M. Thenishkumar to serve a one-month prison sentence if he fails to pay the fine.
According to the charge, the mechanic was accused of cruelly hitting a male dog with an iron rod, causing the animal to sustain fatal injuries. The act occurred at a house on Lebuh Kledang Utara 30, Taman Arkid, between 10:30 pm on September 18 and 9:00 am on September 19.
He was charged under Section 29(1)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 (Act 722), which carries a fine of not less than RM20,000 and not more than RM100,000, or imprisonment of up to three years, or both, if convicted.
Case facts revealed that at around 9:15 am on September 19, the complainant, who is also the accused’s sister, received a phone call from a neighbor informing her that her dog had been killed by her brother. Upon arriving home and bringing the dog to Silibin Animal Clinic, it was confirmed that the dog had died from head trauma.
The prosecution was handled by Deputy Public Prosecutor Amal Azimah Abd. Kohar, while the accused was not represented by a lawyer.
Earlier reports on Monday stated that police had arrested a man suspected of beating a dog to death with an iron rod at a house in Taman Arkid.
Ipoh District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad, said the arrest followed the circulation of a 1-minute 31-second video on Instagram uploaded by the Malaysian Animal Organisation. Police records confirmed that a report regarding the incident was filed on September 19 at Menglembu Police Station.
