Prosecution appealing 14-month jail sentence for man who threw 2 cats off AMK HDB block

The prosecution is appealing against the sentence given to a Singaporean man who threw two cats off an Ang Mo Kio Housing Development Board (HDB) block and swung a third cat repeatedly against a pillar.

Barrie Lin Pengli, 32, was charged with five acts of animal cruelty under the Animals and Birds Act: two cats he threw off the HDB flat, a cat he slammed into a wall, and two others that he trapped and sealed in waterproof bags.

The prosecution had sought 24 months' jail, calling it one of Singapore's worst cases of animal cruelty.

Lin was sentenced to 14 months' imprisonment, along with a court order banning him from owning pets for 12 months from the day of his release.

Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh said Lin's acts were "abhorrent", but the jail term sought by the prosecution appeared "somewhat excessive" based on past cases.

According to The Straits Times (ST), the defence also filed an appeal in response to the prosecution's appeal.

Lin has begun serving his sentence on Feb. 11, ST reported.

Began abuse in 2019

Lin started abusing cats in late 2019.

Whenever he felt frustrated or troubled, he drove down to the Ang Mo Kio HDB estates, which he knew were inhabited by more community cats.

He would walk around, looking for the felines, and lash out at them.

The abuse started less lethal, with kicks.

But Lin's abuse gradually began to escalate.

He would bring small waterproof bags with him on his walks, catch the cats — usually one to three at a time — and seal them into the bags.

He'd then put the trapped cats into his car and either release them elsewhere or kill them, such as by throwing them off HDB blocks.

On Apr. 21, 2020, he caught a cat, held it by the scruff of its neck, and brought it to the 12th floor.

He then dangled the cat over the parapet to scare it before dropping it over the edge.

About a month later, on May 15, 2020, he found another cat and similarly caught it by the scruff of its neck.

This time, he brought it to the 8th floor of a different HDB block.

Like before, he dangled the cat over the parapet to scare it. When the cat struggled and scratched him, he dropped it.

When he went downstairs and saw that the cat was still alive on the ground floor, he stomped on its neck and killed it.

Lin was arrested on the same day and released on bail.

He received psychological treatment, and his depressive symptoms improved.

But his abuse didn't stop there.

On Dec. 26, 2021, Lin wanted to test if he could control his urges to hurt cats.

After spotting a cat at the HDB block, he caught it and forcefully slammed it against the wall.

The cat screamed in pain, and Lin slammed it against the wall a second time.

He subsequently lost his grip, allowing the cat to escape.

This was witnessed by a passer-by, who reported the incident.

The injured cat was found later on by its feeders with multiple fractures and a laceration, which required 14 days' hospitalisation and S$5,491.45 in medical fees.

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