.png)
KLANG – Lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, who is representing Muhammad Shah Idham Nor Haikal Shaharom, has urged netizens who labelled his 24-year-old client a killer and animal abuser to apologise, stressing that the charge against him does not allege that he killed or cruelly abused the animal.
Rafique said the charge read out at the Sessions Court here on Thursday accused his client of unreasonably strangling a dog with a looped rope, causing pain to the animal.
He also urged the media and public not to distort the facts or make allegations that were not stated in the charge sheet.
"Please tell me, where is the word 'killing'? Where is the word 'abuse'? Where is the word 'hitting' or 'hitting so hard that it caused death'?
"To those who have all this time labelled Shah as a cruel person, a killer and so on, this is an open opportunity for you to apologise to a young man who is only 24 years old," he said when met outside the courtroom.
Earlier, Shah and Rocky's owner, S. Roghini Devi, 42, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before Judge Mujib Saroji.
Roghini was accused of unreasonably pulling the dog, while Shah was accused with strangling it with a loop device, causing pain to the animal at a house in Jalan Sama Gagah, Taman Telok Gedung Indah, Port Klang, between 11pm and 11.30pm on July 29.
Both charges were brought under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 and are punishable under Section 29(1) of the same Act, which provides for a fine of between RM20,000 and RM100,000, imprisonment of up to three years or both, upon conviction.
Rafique also clarified that Shah was not an employee of the Klang Royal City Council, but had participated in the operation as a volunteer.
He said he supported the Selangor police chief's call for the public not to exaggerate the matter or engage in speculation about the dog's breed.
"Shah has pleaded not guilty and claimed trial and was allowed bail of RM6,000. He will appear in court to defend himself.
"Besides that, the woman who claimed to be the owner of the dog also faces two charges, one in the Sessions Court which will be heard together with my client's case and another in the magistrate's court," he said.
