JOHOR BARU, March 31 — A teenager will be charged at a magistrates court here on Monday with the animal cruelty seen in an online video in which he allegedly struck stray dogs and lit one on fire, police said today.
Johor Baru North acting district police chief Supt Fariz Amar Abdullah said the teen will be charged based on a Johor Veterinary Services Department investigation.
“Earlier, the department’s investigating officer had completed taking down the suspect’s statement.
“The decision was to charge the suspect,” said Fariz Amar in a brief reply to the media today, when asked for updates on the case.
He said the prosecution will be conducted by an officer from the Johor Veterinary Services Department.
The suspect was set to be charged under Section 29 (1) (e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 that is punishable by a fine of between RM25,000 and RM100,000 or imprisonment up to three years or both upon conviction.
Earlier, the public questioned the suspect’s sincerity after he apologised for his alleged cruelty to the stray dogs in a 45-second video in Mandarin that was posted on social media.
The teenager, identified under a Facebook account named Braden Yap, had apologised for physically abusing the stray dogs and setting one on fire as caught on a viral video that was believed to have originated next to an animal clinic in Taman Impian Emas, Johor Baru.
He admitted that his actions were wrong and expressed hope that the public could give him a second chance
Yap also offered to pay the veterinary bills of the dogs he injured.
Yesterday, Fariz Amar confirmed that a witness had lodged a police report about the incident on March 27, in which it was reported that the abuser was believed to be Malaysian.
Earlier this week, a video surfaced online showing a man on a surveillance camera footage hurling bricks at what appeared to be strays and setting one on fire.
