Ang Mo Kio cat killer Barrie Lin Pengli gets jail term extended to 2 years & 3 months, previously 14 months' jail

A man in Singapore who tortured several cats and threw two of them off high floors of public housing blocks had his jail term increased from 14 months to two years and three months on Jul. 9.

The prosecution had appealed for a longer sentence, CNA reported.

Barrie Lin Pengli, 33, had tormented five cats when he felt frustrated and troubled.

He targeted community cats in the Ang Mo Kio area.

He kicked and abducted them in small waterproof bags that had little air circulation.

He would release the cats elsewhere or kill them.

He even stepped on one of the two cats when it was still alive on the ground after he threw it off a block of flats.

Lin pleaded guilty in October 2024 to three charges of animal cruelty.

Two other charges were taken into consideration.

His case was met with widespread public opprobrium.

Lin has been serving his sentence while he awaited the cross-appeals.

Lin was in court in a purple prison outfit.

Among the most heinous cases of animal cruelty

Justice Vincent Hoong said the lower court had relied on the cat killer's major depressive disorder as a mitigating factor and the sentences were "overly lenient".

The judge added that Lin's case was "among the most heinous cases of animal cruelty that have come before our courts" and "animal cruelty has no place in a just and humane society".

He added that animal cruelty will be met with the "full force of the law."

The prosecution had sought 24 months' jail, but Lin was given 14 months' jail on account of his mental condition.

The defence lawyer said Lin was experiencing major depressive disorder during two of his offences.

"A mental condition cannot be a licence to harm others," Second Chief Prosecutor Isaac Tan said.

The 14 months' jail sentence does not advance the public interest, he added.

Even though Lin was slated to start home detention soon, the prosecution said this was not a bar to imposing the appropriate sentence.

The defence lawyer said Lin's psychiatric condition affected his impulse control and his behaviour was out of character.

The judge ruled that Lin's lethal violence was on purpose and methodical, and the pain and suffering he caused the cats "was not accidental" and "the very point" of his conduct.

Justice Hoong found that Lin knew what he was doing and that he was able to exercise self-control.

He also said the lower court judge was wrong to consider the case of a man, who ran down from the 20th floor of a block with his dog attached to him on a leash and left the bleeding dog to die, as an outlier "starkly different" from Lin's case.

The judge said Yeo's and Lin's cases are in fact comparable because both of them involved the deliberate infliction of violence on domesticated animals.

The man received the maximum 18 months' jail for animal cruelty.

The National Parks Board (NParks) said in a statement:

The offender, Lin Pengli, Barrie, had pleaded guilty to three charges of animal cruelty under the Animals and Birds Act, with another two similar charges taken into consideration for the purpose of sentencing.

On Feb. 7, 2025, he was sentenced by the District Court to 14 months’ imprisonment. The District Court also disqualified him from owning any animal for a period of 12 months from the date of his release from prison.

The prosecution lodged an appeal against the sentence on the basis that it was manifestly inadequate. The prosecution considered that there were aggravating factors such as the extremely cruel and callous way in which the offender had abused animals, the repeated nature of such abusive acts, and the multiplicity of victims in this case. In the prosecution’s view, the sentence of 14 months’ imprisonment imposed by the District Court did not promote the sentencing objectives of deterrence and retribution. The offender also lodged a cross-appeal against sentence.

On Jul. 9, 2025, the High Court allowed the prosecution’s appeal and increased the sentence to 27 months’ imprisonment.

The offender had commenced serving his sentence since 11 February 2025 and will continue serving it.

NParks takes all cases relating to animal cruelty and welfare seriously, and the Animal & Veterinary Service, a cluster of NParks, will continue to work closely with the community to safeguard animal welfare.

Top photos via court documents