A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to probation after being convicted of performing a lewd act on a neighbour’s cat and engaging in related offences.
The incident, which took place in April 2023, led to his arrest and subsequent court proceedings.
The young man, who cannot be named due to his age at the time of some offences, according to The Straits Times report he was ordered to serve a one-year-and-six-month probation period, during which he must remain indoors from 10 pm to 6 am daily and perform 70 hours of community service. His mother was bonded for $5,000 to ensure his good behaviour throughout the probation.
Court documents revealed that the offender, then 18, was caught on CCTV playing with the cat outside a flat on Senja Road around 1.50 am on April 8, 2023.
Feeling sexually aroused by the animal, he performed an obscene act on the cat, which did not suffer injuries.
The cat’s owner, a 35-year-old man, recorded the incident and later uploaded the footage on social media to identify the offender.
The police arrested him shortly after a member of the public alerted authorities.Apart from the animal cruelty case, the court heard that the offender had committed other offences, including theft, when he was 17 in 2022.
As a result, he cannot be named under the Children and Young Persons Act.
In May, he pleaded guilty to charges of assault, harassment, and doing an obscene act in a public place. Two counts of theft and a second assault charge were considered during sentencing.
In addition to the animal abuse, the offender harassed and assaulted a 19-year-old course mate with a mild intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. The victim, who was bullied physically and cyberbullying, was tripped, slapped, and subjected to insults by the offender.
The harassment included tripping him in class and hitting him, with the assault occurring in a toilet in November 2022.
The victim’s father discovered the victim’s text message exchanges with the offender from March 2022, which contained repeated expletives and insults, leading to a police report and subsequent charges in 2024.
As part of his sentence, the young man is also required to attend offence-specific intervention programs addressing his sexually offending behaviour.
IN ANOTHER CASE MAN’S JAIL TERM FOR CAT ABUSE INCREASED TO 2 YEARS AND 3 MONTHS ON APPEAL
A man convicted of abusing five cats in Ang Mo Kio saw his jail sentence extended to two years and three months after the prosecution successfully appealed for a harsher penalty, according to news reports.
Barrie Lin Pengli, 33, had originally received a 14-month jail term, but the High Court increased his sentence, citing the severity and heinous nature of his crimes.
Lin had a history of inflicting cruelty on cats whenever he felt frustrated or troubled, often targeting community cats in Ang Mo Kio housing estates. His acts ranged from kicking the animals to abducting them in small waterproof bags with limited air circulation, then releasing or killing them. He threw two cats off high floors of HDB blocks and stepped on one that was still alive on the ground.
Justice Vincent Hoong described the lower court’s sentencing as “overly lenient,” criticizing its reliance on unreported cases at the lower end of the sentencing spectrum. The judge emphasized that the lower court placed excessive weight on Lin’s diagnosed major depressive disorder, which the High Court found inappropriate given the cruelty involved.
The prosecution argued that the case was particularly cruel and heinous, emphasizing that animal cruelty has no place in society. They highlighted that Lin had committed these acts for his perverse pleasure and that his conduct was among the most egregious cases seen in court. The prosecution called for a 24-month sentence, asserting that the previous 14-month term did not serve justice or public interest.
Lin had pleaded guilty to three charges of animal cruelty, with two additional charges taken into consideration. His defence lawyer pointed to his mental health condition, diagnosed by two psychiatrists, which he claimed was relevant during four of the offences. Lin had been on bail and was serving his sentence while awaiting the outcome of the appeal.
Second Chief Prosecutor Isaac Tan criticized the lower court’s leniency, stating that mental illness should not be used as an excuse to harm animals. He cited statistics indicating increasing cases of animal abuse in Singapore and stressed the need for sentences that send a clear societal message against cruelty.
Prosecutors argued that the cruelty inflicted — torturing, maiming, and killing cats for depraved satisfaction — was among the most heinous. They urged the court to set a strong precedent, noting that animals are defenseless and capable of feeling pain. They also dismissed claims that Lin’s impending home detention would influence sentencing, asserting that appropriate punishment should be prioritized.
Justice Hoong agreed that the severity of Lin’s acts warranted a longer sentence, stating that animal cruelty is incompatible with a humane society.
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