Man Who Was Assaulted By MBPJ Officer To Be Charged In Court On Friday
Patrick Khoo will be facing a criminal charge for obstructing government officials from carrying out their duties.
A man who was seen on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage being assaulted by a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) officer will be charged in court tomorrow, 31 March
Petaling Jaya police chief Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid said the elderly man, identified as Patrick Khoo, will be charged under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing government officials from carrying out their duties, reported Harian Metro.
"The investigation paper was referred to the deputy public prosecutor and we have been informed that the man will be charged this Friday," he said in a statement.
Last week, Fakhrudin confirmed that Khoo was under investigation for preventing government officials from carrying out their duties at Taman Kanagapuram.
The Petaling Jaya police chief, however, acknowledged that the man was injured after being accidentally hit by a rod used to catch stray dogs.
If Khoo is convicted under the provision, he may face up to two years in jail or a fine of up to RM10,000, or both.
Image via Rekha Morgan (Facebook)
Commenting on Khoo's predicament as he will soon be facing a criminal charge, Petaling Jaya member of parliament (MP) Lee Chean Chung expressed his concern over the legal action by the authorities
In a Facebook post, Lee said that while he acknowledged that no person should obstruct public officers when they are carrying out their duties, and that the decision by the court regarding this issue should be respected, he will stand by the elderly man.
"At the same time, I am also in solidarity with the elderly man, who was at his property and showed no violence during MBPJ's dog-capturing operation as seen in video footage shared online," he said.
"Clearly, this incident has exposed the flaws in the procedures adopted by MBPJ in stray animal management.
"It is unfortunate that enforcement operations supposedly protecting citizens have ended up in a senior citizen being hurt and now facing an obstruction charge this Friday."
Patrick Khoo (left) meeting with Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung (right).
Image via Lee Chean Chung (Facebook)
In the incident last week, Khoo was seen being assaulted by an MBPJ officer who was using a catch pole to seize his dogs:
Khoo then filed a police report against the city council:
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