PETALING JAYA: The Singaporean businessman who repeatedly bashed a dog with a crash helmet in a video that went viral on social media was fined RM8,000 or eight months' jail in default by the Magistrate's Court here on Monday (Jan 8).

Magistrate Mohamad Ikhwan Mohd Nasir passed the sentence on Yee Kok Chew, 57, after he changed his plea to guilty when the charge was read to him in English.

The hearing of his case was originally scheduled for Monday as well.

Yee was charged with acting cruelly by repeatedly hitting the white-chocolate male mongrel named Furby with a crash helmet, thus hurting and causing suffering to the dog, at the security guardhouse in Jalan BK6 E/4 (1), Taman Melody, Bandar Kinrara, Puchong at 8.49pm on April 2, 2017.

He was charged under Section 44(1)(a) of the Animals Act 1953 (Revised 2006) and read together with the Animals Act (Amendment 2013), which provides for a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term not exceeding one year, or both.

The accused paid the fine.

Earlier, Yee's counsel Jerald Gomez asked for a light sentence on his client as the dog was not seriously injured and was currently healthy and active.

"After the video clip of the incident went viral, the accused lost his franchise business licence and he also apologised for his action against the dog,” said Gomez.

However, deputy public prosecutor from the Veterinary Services Department, Nabilah Mohammad Zanudin asked for an appropriate sentence as a deterrent to the accused and the public, saying the offence was serious.

During the proceeding, the court heard the barking of a dog nearby, with Nabilah informing that the dog had been brought to court today, resulting in the magistrate saying that he wished to see the condition of the dog, which was then brought into the courtroom by a veterinary officer.

According to the facts of the case, the closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) recording viralled through the Malaysian Independent Animal Rescue Facebook showed a dog being repeatedly hit with a crash helmet by a man at a housing area in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong.

On April 6 last year, veterinary officers came and checked the guardhouse there where they saw a male mongrel and a crash helmet as seen in the CCTV recording. - Bernama