Lorry driver charged with harming dog with stick

KUALA SELANGOR: A lorry driver pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court to a charge of cruelty to an animal.

Mohd Zainal Mat Daham, 41, was alleged to have cruelly beaten a dog with a wooden stick, causing the dog to be injured on the right front and hind legs.

He was charged with committing the offence in front of a guard post of a residential area in Bandar Puncak Alam at 8.30 pm on Oct 29 last year.

The charge, framed under Section 29 (1) (a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 and punishable under Section 29 (1) of the same law, provides a fine of up to RM100,000, imprisonment for up to three years, or both, upon conviction.

Prosecuting officer from the Selangor Veterinary Service Department, Mohd Sharif Sabran, prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented.

Judge Zafirah Zainal Abidin allowed Mohd Zainal bail of RM6,000 with one surety and ordered him to surrender his passport to the court.

The court fixed Feb 28 for mention. — Bernama