CAT KILLER GETS 34 MONTHS’ JAIL
K. Ganesh, 42, is the first person to be prosecuted under Animal Welfare Act since it came into force in July, 2017
A42-YEAR-OLD man, who was caught on video killing a pregnant cat by stuffing it into a laundromat dryer, was sentenced to 34 months’ jail and fined RM40,000 by the Selayang Sessions Court yesterday.
Judge Rasyihah Ghazali meted out the sentence against K. Ganesh, a contract worker, after finding him guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the animal and ruled the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt.
Rasyihah ordered the jail term to commence immediately. Ganesh was also subject to four months’ jail if he failed to pay the fine.
“I hope this sentence will serve as a lesson to the accused and the public to refrain from cruelty against animals.”
Ganesh and another man, A. Mohanraj, 42, were previously charged with causing unnecessary suffering to the feline at the Queen Self-Service launderette in Taman Gombak Ria, Batu Caves, between 12.54am and 1am on Sept 11 last year.
The charge under Section 29 (1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 carries a maximum three years’ jail or a maximum RM100,000 fine, or both, if convicted.
This marked the first time a person had been prosecuted under the act since it came into force on July 2017.
Earlier, Selangor Veterinary Services Department prosecuting officer Roslan Mohd Isa had asked for a heavy punishment for the crime, taking into account that the accused’s actions received widespread condemnation from Malaysians.
“The cat posed no danger to the accused. The accused showed neither respect for the sanctity of life nor regarded that animals too have a right to live.
“This incident became widely known through a viral video and people were enraged by his actions.”
Ganesh’s lawyer, S. Muthuveeran, asked for a jail term for his client as the latter could not afford the fine.
Muthuveeran also said that this was Ganesh’s first offence.
The lawyer asked for a stay of execution pending an appeal at the High Court.
The court granted the appeal and raised the bail from RM12,000 to RM20,000.
On Sept 13 last year, news broke on social media that a pregnant cat was found dead in a laundromat dryer in Taman Gombak Ria.
The cat was found with severe burns on its body.
Closed-circuit television camera footage showed that the cat was stuffed into the dryer by three men, who then switched on the machine before leaving the cat to die.