Crime & Courts

Suspected cat abuser remanded for 3 days

SUNGAI PETANI: The magistrate's court here today granted the police a three-day remand order against a man suspected of abusing stray cats in Semeling.

Magistrate Noor Fazlina Musa granted the application when the 27-year-old man was presented to the court this morning.

The suspect is being investigated under Section 428 of the Penal Code for animal abuse. The offence carries a maximum jail term of up to two years or fine, or both, if convicted.

Police arrested the unemployed man at his house in Kampung Pengkalan Merbok yesterday. The arrest came after a shop worker in Taman Semeling Maju in Bedong witnessed the suspect's sadistic act via the premises' closed circuit television (CCTV) camera. The worker subsequently lodged a police report.

The footage, captured on Saturday at 1.30am, showed the suspect arriving in front of the shop in a Proton Bezza.

He then lured a stray cat in front of the shop with some food. As the cat was feeding on the food, the man suddenly grabbed a palm-sized stone and threw it at the cat's head.

The poor animal was seen shaking violently as blood oozed from its head. The man then drove to the back alley of the premises and used the same tactic to lure another stray cat.

This time, he kicked the cat before leaving. Unknown to the man, his acts had been recorded by the shop's CCTV camera and was later uploaded to Facebook. The footage received over 8,000 shares, drawing fierce criticism from Netizens.

Kuala Muda police chief Assistant Commissioner Zaidy Che Hassan was quoted as saying that preliminary investigations showed that the suspect was suffering from an emotional breakdown after becoming jobless.

He said that the suspect's family members had claimed that the man was a cat lover and had previously owned several cats.

Zaidy said the injured cats have been handed over to the Veterinary Services Department for treatment.

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