KUALA LUMPUR: A 42-year-old man, who was caught on video killing a pregnant cat by stuffing it into a laundromat dryer, was sentenced to 34 months jail and fined RM40,000 by the Selayang Sessions Court on today.
Judge Rasyihah Ghazali meted out the sentence against K. Ganesh, a contract worker, after finding him guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the animal and ruling that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
Rasyihah ordered the jail term to run immediately. Ganesh is also subject to four months’ jail if he fails to pay the fine.
“I hope this sentence will serve as a lesson to the accused as well as the public so they refrain from cruelty against animals,” she said.
Ganesh and another man, A. Mohanraj, 42, were previously charged with ruthlessly causing unnecessary suffering to the feline at the Queen Self-Service Laundrette in Taman Gombak Ria, Batu Caves, between 12.54am and 1am on Sept 11, 2018.
The charge under Section 29 (1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 carries a maximum three years’ jail or a maximum RM100,000 fine, or both, if convicted.
This is the first time an individual has been prosecuted under the Act since it came into being on July 2017.
Earlier, Selangor Veterinary Services Department prosecuting officer Roslan Mohd Isa had asked for a heavy punishment for the crime, taking into account that the accused’s actions had received widespread condemnation from Malaysians.
“The cat posed no danger to the accused.
“The accused showed neither respect for the sanctity of life nor regarded that animals too have a right to live.
“This incident became widespread through a viral video and was viewed by the community, who became enraged by his actions,” he said.
Ganesan’s lawyer S. Muthuveeran had asked for a jail term to be meted out to his client as the latter could not afford the fine.
Muthuveeran pointed out that this was Ganesan’s first offence.
The lawyer also asked for a stay of execution pending an appeal at the High Court. The court granted the appeal and raised the bail from RM12,000 to RM20,000.
On Sept 13, last year, news broke on social media that a pregnant cat was found dead in a laundromat dryer in Taman Gombak Ria.
The cat was found with severe burns on its body.
CCTV footage later showed that the cat was stuffed into the dryer by three men who then switched on the machine before leaving the cat to die in the machine.