AN 18-year-old student who set fire to a dog last month pleaded guilty to animal abuse in the Sessions Court in Johor Bahru.
Braden Yap Hong Sheng entered the plea after a court translator read the charges to him in Mandarin in front of Sessions judge Datuk Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim today (April 12).
According to the police report, Yap assaulted a brown female dog by beating it and setting it ablaze.
(Video credit: FMT)
The act was committed at 1.49am on March 27 (Wednesday) in front of a premises on Jalan Impian Emas 22, Taman Impian Emas.
If found guilty, the offence under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 carries a fine of at least RM20,000 to RM100,000 or imprisonment for a maximum of three years, or maybe both.
Mohd Zamri Ishak, a prosecutor with the Veterinary Services Department, conducted the prosecution, while P. Rajagunaseelan represented Yap.
During the trial, Rajagunaseelan proposed that the sentence be rescheduled because Yap’s lead counsel, G. Sritharan, was not available.
Sritharan is currently in the Philippines and will not return until Sunday (April 16).
The court then arranged the sentence hearing and fact submission for Tuesday (April 18).
Previously, Johor Baru North acting OCPD Supt Fariz Ammar Abdullah mentioned that a police report on the incident was filed at 2.59pm on March 27.
He noted that the incident happened near a veterinary clinic in Taman Impian Emas in Skudai. – April 12, 2023
Main pic credit: The Star
