Court orders laundry cat killer to enter defence

SELAYANG: The Sessions Court here has ordered a 42-year-old man, who allegedly stuffed a pregnant cat into a clothes dryer, to enter his defence.

Sessions Court judge Rasyihah Ghazali ruled that the prosecution had proven a prima facie case and ordered K. Ganesh, 42, to enter his defence.

The accused, who was unrepresented, asked the court for time to engage a lawyer and prepare his defence.

Ganesh also informed the court that a total of five witnesses would be called to testify at the defence stage.

The court fixed Sept 30 for the trial to begin.

“I will give you two weeks and your lawyer has to be present.

“But the trial will still go on, on that day (Sept 30) whether or not your lawyer comes and if he does not come, you will give evidence under oath without the presence of a counsel, ” Rasyihah said here on Thursday (Sept 12).

Deputy public prosecutors Nurul’Ain Shafie and Roslan Mohd Isa prosecuted.

On Oct 16 last year, Ganesh, a contract worker, claimed trial to a charge of ruthlessly causing unnecessary suffering to the feline at the Queen Self-Service launderette in Taman Gombak Ria between 12.54am and 1am on Sept 11,2018.

The charge under Section 29 (1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 carries a maximum three years’ jail or fine, or both, if convicted.

In September last year, news broke on social media that a pregnant cat was found dead in a launderette dryer in Taman Gombak Ria.

The cat was found with severe burns on its body.

CCTV footage later showed that the cat was stuffed into the dryer by three men who then switched on the machine before leaving the cat to die.

In January this year, one of the three men, taxi driver A. Mohanraj, was sentenced to two years' jail for the offence.