Jail Term Doubled on Appeal for Man Who Threw Cats Off HDB Blocks

Judge Says Cruelty Against Vulnerable Animals Will Be Met With Full Force of the Law

- Selina Lum

A man who is serving a 14-month jail term for abusing cats and killing two of them by throwing them off high floors at Housing Board blocks had his sentence nearly doubled to 27 months by the High Court on July 9.

The increase in the sentence for Barrie Lin Pengli, 33, came after the prosecution appealed against the initial sentence that was imposed by a district judge in February.

In allowing the prosecution's appeal, Justice Vincent Hoong said Lin's acts of inflicting violence on animals for his perverse pleasure were among the most heinous cases of animal cruelty to come before the courts.

The judge said Lin had specifically sought out the cats, targeting the Ang Mo Kio HDB estate because he knew that community cats roamed the area.

He also noted that Lin tried to hide evidence of his offences by disposing of the cats' carcasses in locations away from the crime scenes.

Justice Hoong said the district judge was wrong to have treated Lin's major depressive disorder as a significant mitigating factor.

Lin's depression did not affect his ability to exercise self-control or understand the nature and wrongfulness of his actions, according to Justice Hoong.

He said that given the continued prevalence and potential increase of animal cruelty and welfare cases, the courts must give greater weight to deterrence in sentencing.

In 2014, Parliament strengthened the legislation by increasing the maximum sentence from a $10,000 fine and a year's jail to a $15,000 fine and 18 months' jail.