Watchdog Thailand Foundation (WDT) filed a lawsuit against a Thai man in the northern province of Chiang Mai for brutally killing and eating his pet dog in a fit of rage after it bit his seven year old nephew.
A WDT representative filed a complaint at Sankampaeng Police Station yesterday, May 1, that the Thai man, later identified as 42 year old Songwut Chuathong, brutally killed his 10 year old pet dog, named Mon, on April 29.
The foundation informed police that a local alerted the foundation about the incident and also submitted CCTV camera footage as evidence.
The video shows Songwut tying a rope around Mon’s neck and dragging the dog to a tree. He then hung the dog from the tree until it died. This animal cruelty was done in front of his nephew. Songwut then put the dead animal in a sack and left the scene on a motorbike.
Police arrested Songwut at his home yesterday afternoon. He admitted killing the animal but initially refused to tell police where and how he disposed of the body.
Songwut later confessed to killing the dog in anger after it bit his seven year old nephew, who, he says, is an exceptional child. He also revealed that he shared the dog meat with a friend called Roj. Police searched his home and found dog meat left over in the fridge.
Songwut revealed that Mon was his pet dog but he was unable to take care of it and gave it to a nearby relative. He said he killed Mon because he thought it was his dog and that no one would take legal action against him.
Police continued to arrest Songwut’s friend and issued three charges against both of them including:
- Section 340 of the Criminal Law: committing theft using a vehicle to aid the crime. The penalty is imprisonment from five to ten years and a fine from 100,000 to 200,000 baht.
- Section 296 of the Criminal Law: abandoning animal carcasses in a public place. the penalty is a fine of up to 5,000 baht.
- Section 20 of the Act on Animal Cruelty Prevention and Animal Welfare: committing cruelty to animals or killing them. The penalty is imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.
Crime NewsThailand News
