A restaurant owner was fined RM2,000 by the Batu Gajah Magistrate’s Court today (27 February) after pleading guilty to committing mischief by killing a stray dog with a firecracker last January.
According to reports by Sinar Harian and Berita Harian, Magistrate Azlin Zeti Zainal Abidin handed down the sentence to 64-year-old Wong Phan Sang, also ordering a two-month prison sentence should he fail to pay the fine.
The charges state that Wong killed the stray dog using a firecracker in front of a restaurant at Taman Pusing Baru at approximately 7:30 PM on 28 January.
The charge was framed under Section 428 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Wong’s lawyer, Choong Hui Yean, requested a minimal fine of RM500 for several factors and described the accused as a victim because he had repeatedly chased the dog away out of fear of it.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Monisha Pandey sought a severe sentence as a lesson because animal cruelty cases have been increasing recently.
Details of the incident
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras from nearby premises captured the accused throwing an object, specifically a firecracker, at the stray dog, which subsequently caused its death.
Following a police report, a team of officers from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Batu Gajah District Police Headquarters arrested the suspect on 30 January at the Batu Gajah IPD compound.
During the investigation, the suspect led the police to his residence and handed over a plastic container containing a lighter and six multi-coloured, ball-type firecrackers.
The accused paid the RM2,000 fine.
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