A 57-year-old Singaporean in Malaysia was fined RM8,000 (S$2,700) in default of eight months' jail by Malaysian authorities for an act of animal cruelty on Monday. Terry Yee Kok Chew was caught on CCTV camera abusing a dog in Selangor and the video went viral on social media last April.
The video showed Yee falling off his bike after being startled by the dog. He then grabbed the dog, called Furby, and was seen repeatedly hitting the guard dog with a helmet at the entrance of a housing estate in Puchong.
Last August, Yee told The StarTV that he had "snapped" on that particular day. He added that the dog had attacked him six times prior to the incident and that he had also lost an engagement ring in a previous attack.
"I do apologize that I went overboard and hit the dog to the point I shouldn't have. I love dogs; I love animals," Yee told The StarTV. However, he later claimed trial and pleaded not guilty to animal abuse in August.
Yee's lawyer, Jerald Gomez, said that the dog was not seriously injured from the attack and asked for a lighter sentence for his client. "After the video clip of the incident went viral, the accused lost his franchise business license and he also apologized for his action against the dog," Gomez said.
However, a deputy public prosecutor from the Veterinary Services Department, Nabilah Mohammad Zanudin, said that Yee's offense was serious. He has also asked the court for a deterrent sentence for the accused.
