PETALING JAYA: The sessions court here has sentenced a pet owner to two years in jail and fined him RM50,000 for starving his five cats to death.
Judge Siti Aminah Ghazali meted out the sentence on Lim Chia Lin after he pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 29(1)(d) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015.
If he fails to settle the fine, Lim, who was unrepresented, will have to serve an additional one year in prison.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Ahmad Hakimi Wan Ahmad Jaafar prosecuted.
The offence took place at a condominium unit in Bayu Tasik condominium in Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Cheras.
According to the facts of the case, on March 11, the unit owner, acting on complaints from fellow residents, went to investigate a foul stench emanating from inside the unit.
On arrival, the owner saw a cage containing carcasses of several dead cats near the front door and had instructed Lim to dispose of it.
Returning to the unit again a few days later to collect rent from Lim, the owner detected a foul smell coming from inside the unit.
Upon checking, the landlord saw that the animal carcasses had not been disposed of.
Noting that the main door was open, the owner, accompanied by the building manager and a security guard, entered and traced the stench to a freezer and a pail of “minced meat” found in the kitchen.
The 31-year-old accused was asleep in one of the bedrooms at the time.
