Disclaimer: Contains graphic images
Yesterday, at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur, the “tenant from hell” believed to be responsible for the discovery of over 20 cat carcasses was charged and sentenced.
Lim Chia Lin, a 31-year-old from Sarawak who had rented a unit at Bayu Tasik Condominium in Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Cheras, pleaded guilty to neglecting his five pet cats between Jun. 14 and Jul. 3, 2022, NST reported.
He failed to provide them with food and water, resulting in their death. The charge was brought against him under Section 29(1)(D) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 and read to him by Sessions Court judge Siti Aminah Ghazali.
According to the facts presented, the landlord of the unit discovered the carcasses of the cats in a cage near the entrance when he visited the unit on Mar. 11 at around 4pm, after receiving complaints from nearby residents about a foul odor emanating from the apartment.
The landlord questioned the accused about the carcasses and urged him to dispose of them.
Two days later, the landlord returned to the unit with a security guard and the building manager to collect the accused’s overdue rent payment of RM1,400.
Upon entering the unit, they found the cage in the same location and discovered that Lim was sleeping in his room.
Meanwhile, based on a Facebook post by the Malaysia Animal Association, they also found minced meat believed to be cat meat as well as preserved cat organs kept in a plastic container.
The punishment for the accused’s offense falls under Section 29(1) of the same act and could have resulted in a three-year prison sentence, a fine between RM20,000 and RM100,000, or both.
Siti Aminah sentenced him to two years in jail and a RM50,000 fine.
If he fails to pay the fine, he will be required to serve an additional year in jail. Although Lim, who works as a promoter with a monthly salary of RM1,500, pleaded for a lighter sentence, he was not represented by a lawyer.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Ahmad Hakimi Wan Ahmad Jaafar recommended that the court impose a custodial sentence to serve as a warning to society about the importance of caring for their pets.
He also noted that the discovery of the carcasses had generated a lot of public attention.
Despite Lim’s claim that a barrel filled with marinated chicken was the source of the odor, the judge stated that he had already pleaded guilty to causing the cats’ deaths and could only appeal against the sentence.
“The accused had neglected the cats, by not giving any food or drinks to the cats for one month when he left for Sarawak in June last year.
“This caused the cats to starve to death. If he wants to leave them (the cats) for a long time, he should provide food, drinks, and a comfortable place for the cats to live in before he went away, instead of leaving them high and dry, and without the slightest mercy.
“The accused also did not take any proactive measures to bury the cats’ remains and let them rot in the house.
“Therefore, I plead for the court to consider sentencing in the form of imprisonment so that he can repent and also as a lesson to the public to not to neglect their responsibilities as human beings in protecting animals.”
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