Court acquits retiree of dog abuse charge

 

Ng Ah Leak (centre) with his lawyer (right) and a friend when he was charged last year.

BUTTERWORTH: A 71-year-old retiree was freed from an animal abuse charge after a court found insufficient evidence in the prosecution’s case.

Ng Ah Leak was charged at the sessions court here on March 9 last year with injuring a stray dog with a bamboo pole.

He was accused of committing the offence at a drain outside his home in Taman Tanjung Indah, Raja Uda, on Oct 24, 2020 at 10.30pm.

Ng was charged under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, which carries a fine of not less than RM20,000 or not more than RM100,000, a prison term of up to three years, or both upon conviction.

Judge Noor Aini Yusof acquitted Ng without calling for his defence as she found that the prosecution could not prove a prima facie case.

Ng’s lawyer Devkumar Kumaraendran said the prosecution had contended that his client had set up a trap for the dog, as testified by a witness.

He said there was no evidence of the trap and Ng had merely used the bamboo pole to free the dog from the drain.

“The prosecution also failed to tender any evidence to show that the injuries sustained by the dog were caused on that date,” he said.

Yaw Xinying also appeared for Ng, while deputy public prosecutor Roziman Awang Tahrin prosecuted. - FMT