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The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Singapore youth who performed lewd act on cat ordered to undergo probation
SINGAPORE: A young man was ordered on July 11 to undergo probation for a year and six months after he was caught performing a lewd act on his neighbour's cat, which did not suffer any injuries. As part of his sentence, the offender, who is now 20, must remain indoors from 10pm to 6am every day and perform 70 hours of community service. His mother was bonded for S$5,000 to ensure his good behaviour during the probation period. He must also attend offence-specific intervention to address his sexually offending behaviour. Unrelated to this case, he also committed other offences, including theft, in 2022 when he was 17 years old. In consequence, he cannot be named as those below 18 are protected under the Children and Young Persons Act. In May, the offender pleaded guilty to one count each of assault, harassment and doing an obscene act in a public place. Two counts of theft and a second assault charge were considered during his sentencing. In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok told the court that a 35-year-old man, who lived in a Senja Road block of flats, owned the cat, which he allowed to roam freely outside his home. The then 18-year-old offender, who lived in the same block, saw the cat in a public place at around 1.50am on April 8, 2023, and decided to play with it. Somehow, the animal made him feel sexually aroused, and he performed an obscene act on it before it moved away. A nearby CCTV camera recorded the incident and a neighbour showed the cat owner the footage soon after. Feeling annoyed, the owner uploaded the clip onto his social media account as he wanted to identify the offender. He also took the cat to a veterinarian, who found that it was not injured. On April 11, 2023, a member of the public alerted the police to the incident, and officers arrested the offender later that day. Separately, the offender had also harassed and assaulted a 19-year-old coursemate who has mild intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. The offender did not like the victim and would constantly bully him – both physically and in cyberspace. Court documents stated that the offender openly picked on the victim. His acts included tripping him in class and hitting him. The victim did not dare to stand up to his bully or inform others about his ordeal as he feared for his own safety. On March 31, 2022, the offender exchanged text messages with the victim and repeatedly sent the latter expletive-laden insults. The pair were in class in November that year when the offender saw the victim resting his head against another coursemate's bag. The offender became irritated, followed the victim to a toilet and slapped his face. In 2023, the victim's father chanced upon the text messages from the previous year and made a police report. The offender was charged in court in 2024. The youth's case was the second reported one this week involving cats. In an unrelated case on July 9, Barrie Lin Pengli, 33, who was initially handed a 14-month jail term for abusing cats and killing two of them by throwing them off high floors at Housing Board blocks, had his sentence nearly doubled to 27 months by the High Court. This came after the prosecution appealed against the initial sentence which a district judge had imposed in February. In allowing the appeal, Justice Vincent Hoong said Lin's acts of inflicting violence on animals for his perverse pleasure were among the most heinous cases of animal cruelty to come before the courts. He added that given the continued prevalence of animal cruelty and welfare cases, the courts must give greater weight to deterrence in sentencing. In 2014, Parliament strengthened the legislation by increasing the maximum sentence from a $10,000 fine and a year's jail to a $15,000 fine and 18 months' jail. However, the number of animal cruelty and welfare cases has remained high over the years, Justice Hoong noted. From 2019 to 2023, the National Parks Board investigated an annual average of about 1,200 alleged animal cruelty and welfare cases. Justice Hoong stressed that animals constitute a vulnerable class of victims, adding: 'Animal cruelty has no place in a just and humane society and will be met with the full force of the law.' - The Straits Times/ANN
New Paper
2 days ago
- New Paper
Youth who performed lewd act on cat given probation, must attend intervention
A young man was ordered on July 11 to undergo probation for a year and six months after he was caught performing a lewd act on his neighbour's cat, which did not suffer any injuries. As part of his sentence, the offender, who is now 20, must remain indoors from 10pm to 6am every day and perform 70 hours of community service. His mother was bonded for $5,000 to ensure his good behaviour during the probation period. He must also attend offence-specific intervention to address his sexually offending behaviour. Unrelated to this case, he also committed other offences, including theft, in 2022 when he was 17 years old. In consequence, he cannot be named as those below 18 are protected under the Children and Young Persons Act. In May, the offender pleaded guilty to one count each of assault, harassment and doing an obscene act in a public place. Two counts of theft and a second assault charge were considered during his sentencing. In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok told the court that a 35-year-old man, who lived in a Senja Road block of flats, owned the cat, which he allowed to roam freely outside his home. The then 18-year-old offender, who lived in the same block, saw the cat in a public place at around 1.50am on April 8, 2023, and decided to play with it. Somehow, the animal made him feel sexually aroused, and he performed an obscene act on it before it moved away. A nearby CCTV camera recorded the incident and a neighbour showed the cat owner the footage soon after. Feeling annoyed, the owner uploaded the clip onto his social media account as he wanted to identify the offender. He also took the cat to a veterinarian, who found that it was not injured. On April 11, 2023, a member of the public alerted the police to the incident, and officers arrested the offender later that day. Separately, the offender had also harassed and assaulted a 19-year-old coursemate who has mild intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. The offender did not like the victim and would constantly bully him - both physically and in cyberspace. Court documents stated that the offender openly picked on the victim. His acts included tripping him in class and hitting him. The victim did not dare to stand up to his bully or inform others about his ordeal as he feared for his own safety. On March 31, 2022, the offender exchanged text messages with the victim and repeatedly sent the latter expletive-laden insults. The pair were in class in November that year when the offender saw the victim resting his head against another coursemate's bag. The offender became irritated, followed the victim to a toilet and slapped his face. In 2023, the victim's father chanced upon the text messages from the previous year and made a police report. The offender was charged in court in 2024. The youth's case was the second reported one this week involving cats. In an unrelated case on July 9, Barrie Lin Pengli, 33, who was initially handed a 14-month jail term for abusing cats and killing two of them by throwing them off high floors at Housing Board blocks, had his sentence nearly doubled to 27 months by the High Court. This came after the prosecution appealed against the initial sentence which a district judge had imposed in February. In allowing the appeal, Justice Vincent Hoong said Lin's acts of inflicting violence on animals for his perverse pleasure were among the most heinous cases of animal cruelty to come before the courts. He added that given the continued prevalence of animal cruelty and welfare cases, the courts must give greater weight to deterrence in sentencing. In 2014, Parliament strengthened the legislation by increasing the maximum sentence from a $10,000 fine and a year's jail to a $15,000 fine and 18 months' jail. However, the number of animal cruelty and welfare cases has remained high over the years, Justice Hoong noted. From 2019 to 2023, the National Parks Board investigated an annual average of about 1,200 alleged animal cruelty and welfare cases. Justice Hoong stressed that animals constitute a vulnerable class of victims, adding: "Animal cruelty has no place in a just and humane society and will be met with the full force of the law."
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
Singapore man gets probation for lewd act on neighbour's cat, must undergo sexual behaviour intervention
SINGAPORE, July 11 — A 20-year-old man here was reportedly sentenced to 18 months' probation today after being caught performing a lewd act on his neighbour's cat, which was not injured. The Straits Times reported that as part of his probation, he must observe a nightly curfew from 10pm to 6am and complete 70 hours of community service. His mother was bonded for S$5,000 to ensure his good behaviour during the probation period, and he must undergo intervention for sexually offending behaviour. The offender, who committed other unrelated offences including theft when he was 17, cannot be named under the Children and Young Persons Act. He had earlier pleaded guilty to assault, harassment, and committing an obscene act in public, with two counts of theft and another assault charge considered during sentencing. Prosecutors said the man encountered the cat in a public area near his Senja Road flat around 1.50am on April 8, 2023, and committed the act after feeling sexually aroused. The incident was captured on CCTV and shown to the cat's owner, who shared it online to identify the perpetrator and took the cat to a vet, who confirmed it was unharmed. Police were alerted on April 11, 2023, and arrested the offender the same day. The case follows another animal cruelty incident this week where the Singapore High Court increased Barrie Lin Pengli's sentence to 27 months for killing two cats. Justice Vincent Hoong described Lin's crimes as among the worst cases of animal cruelty and stressed the need for deterrence in sentencing. Hoong noted that animal cruelty cases remain high despite legislative amendments in 2014 that raised maximum penalties. Between 2019 and 2023, the National Parks Board investigated an annual average of 1,200 animal cruelty and welfare cases.
Independent Singapore
4 days ago
- Independent Singapore
Judge doubles jail term for serial cat abuser after prosecution appeals for tougher sentence
Photos: Court documents SINGAPORE: A man convicted of one of the most shocking spates of animal cruelty in recent memory will serve a longer jail term after the High Court ruled that his original sentence had been inadequate. 33-year-old Barrie Lin Pengli has had his prison sentence increased to two years and three months, up from the initial 14 months handed down in February. The decision came after the prosecution appealed against what it described as an unduly lenient punishment. According to court documents and media reports, Barrie repeatedly travelled to various Housing Board blocks in Ang Mo Kio over several months, targeting community cats whenever he was upset. He abused at least five cats, with the cruelty escalating over time. In the earliest incidents, Barrie kicked the cats with his feet. But he later began confining them in bags, taking them to secluded areas to inflict further violence. On two occasions, he threw cats from a high-rise building. In one particularly disturbing case, after throwing a cat down, he discovered the animal was still alive and proceeded to kick it again before stepping on it until it died. The prosecution initially sought a two-year sentence, citing the extreme brutality and the deliberate nature of the acts. However, when the case was first heard in the State Courts, the judge imposed a 14-month term, noting Barrie's severe depression as a significant mitigating factor. The prosecution contended that the lower court had placed disproportionate weight on Barrie's mental health issues and had not considered unrelated cases that had not been disclosed to either side. Delivering the High Court's decision, Justice Valerie Thean agreed said she felt the original sentence was too lenient and stressed that general deterrence and retribution were paramount in cases of wanton animal cruelty. Noting that this was a sustained pattern of premeditated, sadistic violence against defenceless animals, Justice Thean said pointed out that the offender did not act merely out of impulse or distress but he abused these animals to gratify a twisted sense of satisfaction. Animal welfare groups have welcomed the stiffer sentence, describing it as a strong signal that such cruelty will be met with serious consequences. Under Singapore law, those convicted of animal cruelty can face fines and imprisonment of up to 18 months per charge, although consecutive sentences are permitted in egregious cases. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Singapore judge doubles jail term for man who threw cats from Ang Mo Kio flats
SINGAPORE, July 9 — A judge has increased Barrie Lin Pengli's jail sentence from 14 months to two years and three months for abusing five cats in Ang Mo Kio. CNA reported that the prosecution appealed for a longer sentence, calling the case 'cruel' and 'heinous' and saying the district judge had erred by placing too much weight on Lin's major depressive disorder. 'Animal cruelty has no place in a just and humane society and will be met with the full force of the law,' Justice Vincent Hoong said. Lin, 33, had abused cats whenever he felt frustrated and would walk around Ang Mo Kio looking for community cats to harm. He initially kicked the cats before abducting them in small waterproof bags with little air circulation, sometimes releasing them elsewhere or killing them. Lin threw two cats off high floors of Housing and Development Board blocks, stepping hard on one cat while it was still alive. Justice Hoong said the lower court's sentence was 'overly lenient' and had wrongly relied on unreported cases clustered at the lower end of sentencing guidelines. He said the district judge had placed too much mitigating weight on Lin's major depressive disorder. Lin pleaded guilty in October 2023 to three charges of animal cruelty, with two other charges taken into consideration. The prosecution had initially sought 24 months' jail, while the district court sentenced Lin to 14 months after considering his mental health. Second Chief Prosecutor Isaac Tan told the court that 'a mental condition cannot be a licence to harm others' and that the initial sentence 'is not one that advances the public interest.' He added that animals are 'defenceless creatures' capable of pain and suffering, and that the cats were 'subjected to cruelty, tortured, killed' for Lin's 'depraved satisfaction.' Defence lawyer Azri Imran Tan said Lin's actions were 'reprehensible' but argued the total sentence of 14 months was 'fair and just,' urging the court not to allow public emotion to influence the sentence. Justice Hoong said the violence inflicted was deliberate and methodical, noting that the cats' deaths were 'violent and gruesome' and that the pain suffered by the cat that was stamped on was particularly severe. He found that Lin was aware of his actions and capable of exercising self-control during the offences.
