Dog assault: Man to be charged

PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali has ordered the abuser of a dog named Furby (pix) in Puchong to be charged by the end of this week for animal cruelty.
The attorney-general said order has been given for the suspect, Terry Yee Kok Chew, who was caught on closed-circuit television footage violently hitting the dog in a residential area in April, to be brought to book for his deed.
"I managed to check on the Furby case. The abuser is going to be charged very soon. Directions have been given. He (Yee) will be charged within this week," he replied in a brief message to theSun today from overseas.
Selangor prosecution director Muhammad Iskandar Ahmad, when contacted, said the suspect would be charged under the Animals Act 1953.
"The order is for the Selangor Veterinary Services Department to charge the suspect under Section 44 of the Act," he said, adding that the investigation paper into the case had been submitted earlier.
Under Section 44, any person who cruelly beats, tortures or terrifies any animal, or causes any unnecessary pain or suffering to the animal, shall be guilty of an offence of cruelty and is liable to a fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment for a term of one year or both.
Attempts to get the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) for comments has been futile to date.
The decision to charge Yee under the Animals Act 1953 and not under the newly minted Animal Welfare Act 2015 which offers more severe penalties has raised eyebrows.
However, Bar Council member Syahredzan Johan offered an explanation and said this is because the case happened before the new Animal Welfare Act came into force in July.
The video of Yee losing his cool and attacking the dog, which went viral in April, showed the Singaporean falling off his bicycle while riding to the guardhouse after Furby ran up to him.
In a fit of rage, Yee then got up and charged at the dog, grabbing it by its neck, hitting it repeatedly, and even used a crash helmet.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better founder Wani Muthiah commended the move to charge the suspect, saying they were glad that justice would finally be served.
"It's a good move, although it took some time. Nobody should harm an animal the way he (Yee) did, and get away with it. And this should be a lesson to the general public that animal harm cannot be condoned," she told theSun.
Wani added that the DVS must explore all avenues to ensure it does not lose the case, adding that whatever punishment is meted out at the trial must reflect the gravity of Yee's action.