Technician discharged on charge of killing cat

KUALA LUMPUR: The Selayang Sessions Court yesterday gave a discharge not amounting to an acquittal to one of the two men accused of killing a cat by putting it into a laundry dryer on Sept 11.

Judge Rasyihah Ghazali handed down the judgement on electrical technician S. S. Satthiya, 26, after deputy public prosecutor Nurul Ain Shafie informed the court that she had been instructed by the Selangor Prosecution Unit not to continue the charge under Section 254 of the Criminal Procedures Act.

“However, the case against another accused, taxi driver A. Mohanraj, 41, continues and all documentation has been prepared,” she said after the case came up for mention yesterday.

The prosecution was also conducted by prosecuting officer from the Selangor Veterinary Services Department Roslan Mohd Isa while Satthiya was unrepresented.

Both men, together with another person, were accused of ruthlessly causing unnecessary suffering to the feline at a laundrette in Taman Gombak Ria, Batu Caves here between 12.54 am and 1 am, on Sept 11.

The charge, under Section 29 (1) (e) of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) 2015, punishable under Section 29 (1) of the same Act and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or a jail term of up to three years or both, upon conviction.

On Sept 20, Satthiya and Mohanraj pleaded not guilty to the charge.

A closed- circuit television camera footage of a pregnant cat being placed in the dryer by two men at a self- service laundrette went viral on social media.

The cruel act subsequently received criticisms from the public before the Malaysian Animal Association reported the matter to the police. — Bernama