Man, 37, charged for slashing cat at Ang Mo Kio carpark
SINGAPORE — A 37-year-old man was charged on Wednesday (9 June) for slashing a cat at a multi-storey carpark in Ang Mo Kio.
The case comes following media reports stating that around 10 cats had been attacked in the area since end-April.
Leow Wei Liang was handed one charge under the Animal and Birds Act for allegedly slashing a white and grey cat with a penknife. The offence allegedly took place at around 11am on 2 May at the staircase of a multi-story carpark at Block 352A Ang Mo Kio Street 32.
Leow, a Singaporean, appeared in court via videolink, but refused to appear on screen and could be heard wailing and crying in the background. "I don't want to go to jail," he said as police officers coaxed him to appear on screen.
Despite the officers' efforts and that of a Mandarin interpreter who advised Leow to cooperate for the "good of everyone around", the accused appeared to stay seated on the ground and out of range of the camera.
A prosecutor asked that Leow be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks for psychiatric assessment, with District Judge Marvin Bay observing that there was "ample reason" for him to be remanded given the circumstances.
Leow was nabbed on Tuesday during an operation conducted by the National Parks Board's (NParks) Animal and Veterinary Service, according to media reports.
Reports of cats being slashed in the vicinity of several Ang Mo Kio housing blocks emerged last month, with the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) appealing for information and asking the community to watch out for the cats in the area.
The group said in a Facebook post on 20 May that several cats had been found with deep slash-type wounds on their bodies around Blocks 302, 316B, 335, 337, 343, and 346 in Ang Mo Kio.
The SPCA said that one cat was being treated and recovering at its facility while the rest were treated at veterinary clinics.
Leow will return to court on 23 June. If convicted of causing an animal unnecessary pain or suffering, he could be jailed up to 18 months or fined up to $15,000.
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