KUALA LUMPUR: A jobless man was sentenced to four days jail and fined RM8,000 by the magistrate’s court today after pleading guilty to a charge of animal cruelty.
Magistrate Zuhair Rosli handed down the sentence on Lai Yik Loy, 35, after the accused pleaded guilty to ill-treating a white male Siberian Husky.
Lai admitted to have wantonly caused unnecessary pain and suffering to the dog that belonged to him.
He committed the offence at a house in Lorong Peel, Jalan Peel, here, at about 10.30am on Sept 26, last year.
The charge under Section 44(1)(d) of the Animals Act 1953 carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 and a jail term of not more than a year, or both, upon conviction.
In pleading leniency, the unrepresented accused said he was unemployed since four months ago and he has to take care of his parents.
The magistrate also ordered Lai to bear the dog’s treatment cost of RM6,872 and for him to serve four months in jail if he fails to pay the fine.
Prosecuting officer from the KL Veterinary Services Department Hasiah Musa urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence saying that the accused did not care for the dog by not providing it with necessary treatment and sufficient food and water.
According to the facts, on Sept 26, 2017, at about 10.30am enforcement officers from the department had inspected the accused’s house and found the dog chained to a gas cylinder in front of the house without treatment and care.