Alleged cat killer remanded for another week
TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — The man accused of throwing a cat down 13 floors in Yishun has been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for another week for further assessments.
Lee Wai Leong, 40, will probably request bail when he returns to court next Tuesday, his lawyer Josephus Tan said, because he hopes to spend Chinese New Year with his family. Mr Tan is representing the accused pro bono.
Lee was charged with one count of animal cruelty on Dec 29.
He flung an adult male Mackerel Tabby domestic shorthair cat from the 13th floor of 115B Yishun Ring Road at around 10.30am on Oct 30, killing it.
There have been at least 19 cases of cat abuse in Yishun since Sept 24 last year — the felines were thrown from a height, strangled, bludgeoned on the head and back, and even had their limbs severed.
All but two of the cats died. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore had told TODAY last month that investigations into the other cases are still in progress.
Lee is the first person to be charged under the amended Animals and Birds Act, with penalties enhanced in 2014.
A first-time offender can be fined up to S$15,000 or jailed up to 18 months, or both. For subsequent offences, the penalty can go up to S$30,000, or a maximum jail term of three years, or both.
