Singaporean man killed cats by throwing them off Ang Mo Kio HDB
A Singaporean man has admitted to cruelly abusing cats in Ang Mo Kio, including abducting them and throwing them off HDB buildings.
For nearly two years, 32-year-old Barrie Lin Pengli would hurt cats to relieve stress when he felt “troubled with his life”.
The prosecution is seeking two years’ jail for Mr Lin after he pleaded guilty to three charges of animal cruelty on Tuesday (15 Oct).
The case has also been described as “one of the worst cases of animal cruelty” in Singapore.
“Developed animosity” for cats over time
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Mr Lin told the court that he would drive to housing estates in Ang Mo Kio for walks whenever he felt frustrated.
Initially, Mr Lin would seek out cats on his walks to pat them, his defence lawyer said. He would kick cats that were not friendly.
However, he “developed animosity” for cats over time and even viewed them as a nuisance.
His actions towards cats also escalated — he would suffocate felines by placing them in waterproof bags and sealing them.
After that, he would release the cats somewhere else or hurl them off a high floor of an HDB block.
Prosecutor said Lin’s actions between 2019 and 2020 gave him a “sense of excitement, thrill, and guilt”.
Threw cat from 8th storey during an incident
One particular case of abuse was captured by security cameras in May 2020.
Having found a cat at the void deck of Block 645 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, Lin proceeded to grab hold of the cat and entered the lift.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
Lin subsequently hurled the cat off the 8th floor of the housing block.
Later, Lin went to the ground floor to check on the cat. Upon finding out that it was still alive, Lin proceeded to stomp on its neck, killing it in the process.
He then threw the cat’s lifeless corpse in a nearby bin.
As Lin’s actions were caught by police cameras, the cat’s carcass was retrieved and veterinarians from the National Parks Board (NParks) subsequently performed a post-mortem on it.
It was later found that the feline had several fractured ribs and died of blunt-force trauma.
Police arrested Lin on the same day and he was released on bail.
Mr Lin then underwent psychological treatment which led to an improvement in his depression symptoms. He even got a full-time job in Nov 2021.
After a Christmas dinner the very next month, Mr Lin wanted to test if he could control his urges to harm cats.
He returned to Block 645 where he found a cat and proceeded to slam its head against a wall.
The cat somehow managed to free itself after a second attempt.
A passerby who witnessed the incident reported the incident to NParks.
The cat was later found and underwent surgery — its medical bills came up to nearly S$6,000.
Prosecution calls for 2 years’ jail
Because of the extent of his cruelty to animals, the prosecution is seeking a 24-month prison sentence for Mr Lin.
They also said Mr Lin was not suitable for a mandatory treatment order (MTO), which the defence had called for.
The defence argued that Mr Lin is “ashamed and is extremely sorry for his actions” after going through treatment and having time to reflect on what he did.
They further argued the abuse took over a short period when Mr Lin experienced “unemployment, family conflict, and financial pressures”.
Since then, the defence said the man has improved his situation, even moving into a Build-to-Order flat and getting married.
The 32-year-old will return to court next month for his sentencing.
Also read: Man Allegedly Abuses & Throws Cats Down HDB Blocks, Faces 5 Animal Cruelty Charges
Man Allegedly Abuses & Throws Cats Down HDB Blocks, Faces 5 Animal Cruelty Charges
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Featured image adapted from Lianhe Zaobao.
