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S'porean who threw 2 cats off AMK HDB block & slammed 1 against wall gets 14 months' jail
He was also banned from owning an animal for a year.
February 07, 2025, 03:56 PM
Over two years, a Singaporean man threw two cats off an Ang Mo Kio HDB block and swung a third repeatedly against a pillar, causing it to scream in pain.
Barrie Lin Pengli, 32, abused community cats to blow off steam when feeling angry or frustrated.
He began with smaller acts of cruelty, like kicking them, but this eventually escalated to more brutal acts.
He was sentenced on Feb. 7 to 14 months' jail and banned from owning an animal for a year.
Serial abuse
The court heard that Lin began abusing cats in late 2019.
Whenever he felt frustrated or troubled, he'd drive down to 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.
Photo from NParks
In this way, he handled his emotional distress, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Regina Lim.
"The accused felt a sense of excitement, thrill and guilt while abusing the cats and a sense of relief after he abused the cats," she added.
Throwing cats off HDB flats
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.
Photo from NParks
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 it over the parapet to scare it. When the cat struggled and scratched him, he dropped the cat.
When he went downstairs and saw that the cat was still alive on the ground floor, he stomped on its neck and killed it.
Photo from NParks
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.
Slammed against wall
On Dec. 26, 2021, Lin returned to the HDB block where he killed the second cat.
He wanted to test if he could control his urges to hurt cats, the DPP said.
After spotting a cat, 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.
Charges and sentencing
In total, Lin was charged for five acts of animal cruelty under the Animals and Birds Act: the two cats he threw off the HDB flat, the cat he slammed into a wall, and two others that he trapped and sealed in waterproof bags.
He was sentenced to 14 months' jail, with a court order banning him from owning animal for 12 months from the day of his release.
While Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh said that Lin's acts were "abhorrent", he said that the jail term sought by the prosecution appeared "somewhat excessive" based on past cases.
The prosecution had sought 24 months' jail and called it one of Singapore's worst cases of animal cruelty.
In response to the sentencing, the prosecution said it would consider if it would appeal against the sentence.
It is expected to update the court on Feb. 11, according to CNA.
NParks' statement
Commenting on the case, Jessica Kwok, group director of enforcement and investigation at the National Parks Board, said that the agency "takes all cases related to animal cruelty and abuse seriously".
In each report of animal cruelty that was investigated and substantiated, enforcement action was taken, either through a warning letter, a fine, or a court prosecution.
Kwok added that in this case, NParks had conducted a "comprehensive investigation" together with the Singapore Police Force.
She noted that the government has embarked on a review of the Animals and Birds Act, which was announced in parliament on Nov. 13, 2024.
"Members of the public can play a part in preventing animal cruelty by promptly reporting suspected cases of animal cruelty or providing potential evidence to NParks via our website at www.avs.gov.sg/feedback, or calling us via our Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600," she said.
"As with all investigations, all forms of evidence are crucial to the process, and photographic and/or video-graphic evidence provided by the public will be helpful in supporting investigations."
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