SEREMBAN: A 61-year-old man charged with animal cruelty will file a representation to the Attorney-General to have the charge amended.
Chok Boon Kwong, who had claimed trial when he was charged on June 8, told this to Sessions Court Judge Rushan Lutfi Mohamed when the case came up for mention on Tuesday (July 11).
His lawyer Nashvinder Singh Gill asked the court for a one-month grace period before the next case management.
"We have received the relevant documents from the prosecution today and would need some time to study it.
"We will also be filing a representation and hope the court can grant us a one-month period," he said.
Chok was charged with tying the canine to a car with the registration plate WGP9130 and dragging it along a road in Kg Sri Parit in Port Dickson.
He allegedly committed the offence at around 6.45pm on May 27.
The accused was charged under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, which carries a fine of between RM20,000 and RM100,000, a prison term of up to three years or both, upon conviction.
Judge Rushan then fixed Aug 10 for case management. The accused is out on RM15,000 bail.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Syamimi Farhana Muhammad A. Aziz prosecuted.
The suspect was arrested on May 29 in connection with the alleged incident and then remanded.
Police received a report about the incident on May 27 from a 44-year-old complainant who witnessed the dog being dragged.
The man claimed he was at his home in Kg Sri Parit when he witnessed the incident and decided to give chase.
He then overtook and blocked the suspect's vehicle to keep the dog, which was bleeding heavily, from being dragged any further.
A video of the incident, which went viral on social media, shows the dog bleeding and panting profusely.
