SEREMBAN: A 61-year-old man charged with animal cruelty plans to appeal to the Attorney-General’s office for a modification of the charge. Chok Boon Kwong, who pleaded not guilty to the charges on June 8, made this announcement to Sessions Court Judge Rushan Lutfi Mohamed during a mention of his case on Tuesday (July 11).
Chok’s lawyer, Nashvinder Singh Gill, requested a one-month adjournment for the next case management, explaining that they had just received the prosecution’s documents and needed time to review them. “We will also be filing a representation and hope the court can grant us a one-month period,” stated Gill.
The charges against Chok stem from an incident in which he tied a dog to a car with the registration plate WGP9130 and dragged it along a road in Kg Sri Parit in Port Dickson. The alleged offense took place around 6.45pm on May 27.
Chok is being charged under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, which carries a fine of between RM20,000 and RM100,000, a prison term of up to three years, or both if convicted. Judge Rushan has scheduled the next case management for August 10, and the accused is currently out on RM15,000 bail.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Syamimi Farhana Muhammad A. Aziz is handling the prosecution. The suspect was arrested on May 29 in connection with the alleged incident and was subsequently remanded.
The police became involved in the case after receiving a report about the incident from a 44-year-old witness on May 27. The witness claimed to have seen the dog being dragged while at home in Kg Sri Parit and decided to intervene by giving chase. He managed to overtake and block the suspect’s vehicle to prevent further harm to the heavily bleeding dog.
A video capturing the incident went viral on social media, showcasing the dog’s distressing state with profuse bleeding and heavy panting.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
