IPOH, October 1 — A 23-year-old mechanic was fined RM20,000 by the Magistrates’ Court here today after pleading guilty to brutally beating a pet dog with a metal rod, an act which led to the animal’s death.
Magistrate Anis Hanini Abdullah handed down the sentence to M. Thineshkumar, who was also ordered to serve one month in jail if he fails to pay the fine.
Thineshkumar was charged with repeatedly beating the dog at his home in Taman Arkid, Ipoh, between the night of Sept 18 and the morning of Sept 19. The charge was framed under Section 29(1)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015.
According to the facts of the case, the dog, a male, belonged to the accused’s sister.
On the night of Sept 18, Thineshkumar struck the dog with an iron rod despite his mother’s attempts to stop him. The incident was recorded on a mobile phone video that later went viral.
A still shows a man hitting one of his family’s pet dogs with a steel rod in Taman Orkid, Ipoh.
The following morning, a neighbour witnessed the accused striking the dog again and heard the animal barking in pain.
When confronted, the accused claimed he had hit the dog because it had tried to bite him.
When the the accused’s sister returned home, she found the dog in a severely injured and bloody state.
She rushed the animal to a veterinary clinic here, where it was found to be unconscious with heavy bleeding from the head and a puncture wound, consistent with blunt force trauma. The dog succumbed to its injuries later that evening.
During mitigation, Deputy Public Prosecutor Amal Aziemah Abd Kohar urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence to serve as a public lesson.
Thineshkumar, who was unrepresented, apologised and appealed for a lighter sentence, stating that he supported his family and reiterated his claim that he had beaten the dog because it had tried to bite him.
