BALING: The owner of a Rottweiler dog has been fined RM8,500 by the Baling Magistrate's Court after pleading guilty to five charges of negligence by allowing his pet to attack victims in Kuala Ketil on the second day of Hari Raya.
Judge Najwa Che Mat imposed a sentence of RM1,700 or two months imprisonment if unpaid for each charge against the accused, Chong Shen Chong, 69, who is also a businessman.
For the first charge, the accused negligently allowed his pet dog to attack Khadijah Abdullah, 66, causing injury during an incident around 4.45am in the residential area of Taman Desa Bidara on April 1.
For the next charge, the accused was charged with negligence for allowing the same dog to injure an Egyptian student, Ahmed Abdeltawwad Moustafa, 28, at around 6am in another area of the same estate on the same day.
For the subsequent charge, the accused negligently allowed the dog to injure Asyida Nizam Ahmad, 50, at 6.40am in a different location within the estate.
Next, the accused was charged with negligence for allowing his pet dog to injure Shaik Peer Mohamed Mohamed Mydin, 51, and Goh Bing Hak, 74, at 7am at a food court in the estate on the same day.
For these actions, the accused was charged with offences punishable under Section 289 of the Penal Code.
If found guilty, the punishment can be imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Amirul Halimi Md Salleh, while the accused was represented by lawyer Alvin Kua Tze Min.
In mitigation, the defence requested the court to waive the prison sentence due to the accused's frail condition and his diagnosis of depression and heart complications, requiring constant treatment.
Alvin clarified that the guilty plea had saved the court's time, and the accused promised not to repeat the incident, as the two Rottweilers involved in the case had been euthanised by the Kedah State Veterinary Services Department.
Judge Najwa imposed a fine of RM1,700 for each charge, and the accused paid the fine.
