Cabby jailed 8 weeks for killing cat that dirtied his flat
Angry that a cat had dirtied his house two days in a row, a man abused the animal by throwing it to the floor twice before chucking it down a rubbish chute from his third-storey flat.
Ow Ah Lon’s actions ended up killing the grey and white cat, whose carcass was found at the bottom of the rubbish chute at the Ang Mo Kio HDB block where he lived.
The 59-year-old taxi driver pleaded guilty to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal on Wednesday (4 October) in the State Courts and was sentenced to eight weeks’ jail.
Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) prosecutor Yap Teck Chuan said that on the morning of 12 March, Ow found traces of a cat’s paw print in the toilet of his kitchen but could not find a cat in his flat. At around the same time the next morning, Ow found a cat’s urine and faeces on his bedroom mattress. Ow was furious but again could not find a cat in his home.
On 14 March, upon returning home from work at about 9am, Ow heard the cat meowing in his flat and went to search for it. He spotted the white and grey cat about an hour later running out from under the television console in the living room. The cat later hid below a metal rack in Ow’s kitchen.
Ow reached into the metal rack and managed to grab the cat. He tried to drag it out but the cat struggled and scratched Ow’s left hand, which prompted him to throw the animal to the floor.
The cat then ran into the kitchen’s toilet and hid beside the toilet bowl. After a few attempts to catch the cat, Ow managed to grab its hind legs but the cat bit his right hand. Ow threw the cat to the ground again. He later picked it up and chucked it down his flat’s rubbish chute.
After the incident, Ow went to a nearby convenient store to buy medication for his injuries. As he was making his way home, he stopped by an acquaintance’s home and told her that he had earlier found a cat in his house and had beaten it till it fainted. He also revealed to the woman that he tossed the cat into the rubbish chute in his flat.
After Ow left for home, the woman went down to check on the rubbish chute at Ow’s block, where she found the dead cat. She then informed AVA about her discovery. Officers who arrived at the block a while later discovered the cat’s carcass. A post-mortem report on the cat found that it had died from blunt force trauma.
Prosecutor Yap sought a sentence of 10 weeks’ jail for Ow, citing a need to deter others from similar offences. He said that Ow had ill-treated the cat and had showed a total disregard for the animal’s safety.
Ow, who was unrepresented, said in mitigation that he had also acted out of fear as the cat had hurt his hand. He added that the cat was still alive but “dizzy” before he threw it down the rubbish chute.
The divorcee pleaded for leniency, citing financial difficulties and a need to support himself with his job as a taxi driver. District Judge Kan Shuk Weng said that a jail sentence was called for in Ow’s case. She said that there was no reason to throw the cat down the chute after having manhandled it.
For causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal, Ow could have been jailed up to 18 months’ and/or fined $15,000.
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