Last month, a boy was caught on CCTV footage torturing a dog by setting fire to it.
He later pleaded guilty to an act of animal cruelty and made a public apology asking for forgiveness.
On Tuesday (18 Apr), Braden Yap Hong Sheng was sentenced to seven strokes of the cane.
The judge noted that while his act was inhumane and cruel, it did not warrant a jail sentence. However, it still merited appropriate punishment and hence he was sentenced to caning.
Yap was charged with cruelly causing undue pain to a brown female dog on 27 Mar in front of premises at Jalan Impian Emas 22, Taman Impian Emas, Skudai, at 1.49am.
The New Straits Times (NST) reported Judge Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim as ordering the release of Yap on a one-year good behaviour bond.
He was granted RM10,000 (S$3,000) bail.
The court said it took the inhumane act into account before sentencing.
“Whatever threat the dog posed against you, you should not have acted cruelly,” Judge Che Wan Zaidi said. “You should have lodged a report to the enforcement agency for them to take action.”
Since Yap was a young first-time offender who pleaded guilty early, the court took this into account.
“However, it is the court’s responsibility to also give an appropriate punishment by taking into account the public interest factor as a lesson to the accused and the community so that this act does not happen again in the future,” the judge said.
“All living beings, including animals, have a fundamental right to be protected by the law and to live in peace.”
Yap will receive his sentence on 21 May at 9am.
The footage, shared on 27 Mar, showed Yap using a metal rod to hit stray dogs in the area.
He then doused the dog with alcohol before setting it on fire.
Source: @dr.ima_vet on Instagram
Following the events and uproar, Yap posted a public apology, seeking the public’s forgiveness.
He also promised to pay for the medical expenses of the injured dogs.
On 12 Apr, Yap pleaded guilty in court to animal cruelty under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015.
Yap could have received a fine of up to RM100,000 (S$30,150), imprisonment of up to three years, or both.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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