Six men in Kuching fined RM500 each for taking part in illegal cockfighting session

KUCHING (July 15): The Magistrates’ Courts here fined six men RM500 each for taking part in an illegal cockfighting session last month.

Magistrates Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan and Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali in separate proceedings also ordered Lim Hock Sheng, Kueh Joo Liet, and Ling Ee Tuan to be jailed for two weeks if they failed to pay the fine.

Magistrate Zubaidah Sharkawi on the other hand ordered Rizal Tameran, Jong Kim Cho and Wong Hang Heng to be jailed for three weeks if they failed to pay the fine.

The six men each pleaded guilty to a charge framed under Rule 5(3) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Cockfighting) Rules 1962 which carries a jail term for three months or a fine of RM500, upon conviction.

They committed the offence at an open space in a forest behind a premises in Kampung Batu 10 in Matang at around 11.30am on June 12, 2024.

Based on the facts of the case, a team of police raided the open space at the aforementioned address and arrested the six men.

The police also seized items including one live chicken, one dead chicken, one chicken spur, a few pieces of wood inscribed with the numbers 300, 500 and 1,000.

Investigations found that the six men were involved in an illegal cockfighting session as they did not have a licence from the authority.

The case items also showed evidence that the cockfighting session was organised at the premises.

The cases were prosecuted separately by ASP Arman Ibrahim and Insp Merylene Lindan Andrew Mang while the six men were unrepresented by counsel.