KUALA LUMPUR: A man was sentenced to 15 months in prison at the Sessions Court here today after he pleaded guilty to killing a cat recently.
The sentence was meted out by Judge Rohatul Akmar Abdul against 28-year-old Al Azrin Norhisham.
The court also ordered the accused, who works at a food stall, to serve his sentence today (June 14).
According to the charge sheet, Al Azrin was alleged to have killed a male cat at Blok A3, Jalan 4/27a, Seksyen 2, Wangsa Maju, Setapak at 1.30pm on June 10.
He was charged under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 (Act 772), read together with Section 29(1) of the same Act, which provides a maximum three-year jail term, or a fine, or both.
Earlier, the accused, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a lighter sentence, claiming he killed the cat after he was attacked by the animal.
"The cat bit my arm until it bled. That's why I caught it and hanged it.
"I would like to ask for a lighter sentence as I am an orphan," he said.
He also said he was mentally unstable at the time of the incident.
"I am mentally unsound… I have a letter from the hospital," he said.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Hajar Mohd Ashif, however, objected to the plea and asked for a deterrent sentence against the accused.
"What he did was a criminal offence and a form of cruelty against a living being.
"The court also has to take into account the interest of members of the public as this case has gained widespread attention on social media. There is a need to teach the public and the accused a lesson," she said.
On Monday, police arrested the accused after closed-circuit television footage showed him holding the cat before tying a rope around its neck and hanging it at a staircase.
The cat's owner found his pet cat frothing at the mouth outside his home at 2.30pm. He initially thought his cat was poisoned.