KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — A man who went viral for beating his pet dog, 'Lucky', with a wooden stick and rubber hose was fined RM30,000 by the Ampang Sessions Court today after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
Judge Norshila Kamarudin handed down the sentence to air-conditioning technician Kiew Mun Kiat, 43, and ordered him to serve six months’ jail if he failed to pay the fine. The accused paid the fine.
The court also ordered the dog to be forfeited to the government for adoption through the Selangor Veterinary Services Department (JPV) by qualified and interested members of the public.
Kiew was charged with brutally assaulting a male German Shepherd using a wooden stick and rubber hose multiple times at his home in Pandan Indah at 5.29pm on Thursday (July 31).
The charge, framed under Section 29(1)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, provides for a fine of between RM20,000 and RM100,000, or imprisonment of up to three years, or both, upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, between 5.29pm and 5.41pm on July 31, a resident recorded footage of the accused hitting the dog using a mobile phone. The video was later uploaded and went viral across several social media platforms.
A joint inspection by the Selangor JPV and Ampang Jaya police, following public complaints, led to the discovery of a tied-up male dog named 'Lucky', along with a wooden stick and rubber hose in the house compound.
A physical examination conducted on the dog on Friday (August 1) revealed a wound on the front of its left leg, along with localised hair loss (alopecia) and skin redness (erythema).
Earlier, Selangor JPV prosecuting officer Mohd Sharif Sabran urged the court to impose a heavy sentence, citing public interest and the seriousness of the animal cruelty offence.
“In this case, OKS (Kiew) repeatedly beat his dog, resulting in injuries that could cause trauma to the animal. The prosecution is also requesting that the dog be forfeited to the government for adoption by eligible and interested members of the public through the Selangor JPV,” he said.
The accused, who was unrepresented, appealed for a lighter sentence on the grounds that he was supporting his family, and that he beat the dog to teach it a lesson after it bit his hand.
