Man Who Allegedly Slashed AMK Cats with a Penknife Gets Additional Charges

By
Shawn Ambrose
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In Singapore, stray cats go by a much more affectionate term: community cats.

The name suggests that these roaming felines are part of the community, where people ensure that cats on the street are well-fed and taken care of.

In return, they let us pet their fluffy little heads.

But, for reasons unknown, some people enjoy hurting these poor, defenceless cats. And in Ang Mo Kio, one man in the community went around slashing 10 of them.

Fortunately, he’s now being dealt with by the authorities.

Man Who Allegedly Slashed AMK Cats with a Penknife Gets Additional Charges

The offender, Leow Wei Liang, was initially charged with one count of hurting a cat with a penknife on 2 May.

But yesterday, he was handed additional charges for his alleged slashing of six other cats with a penknife.

As a result, the 37-year-old is now facing 7 charges.

Understood the Consequences of his Actions

After his hearing in early June, Leow was remanded in the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to be assessed.

A psychiatrist concluded that while he suffered from autism and an underlying antisocial personality, Leow’s cruel acts “were not borne from any difficulty in comprehending the consequences of his actions”.

In other words, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Maintained His Innocence Throughout Hearing

In the remote hearing, Leow interrupted the proceedings repeatedly to maintain his innocence.

He claimed he couldn’t have slashed the cats as they moved quickly and hid under cars.

He also said he did not understand what offences he had allegedly committed.

Well, here’s a reminder:

10 Cats Slashed, 9 Placed in Boarding Facilities

In late April, residents of Ang Mo Kio started noticing that some community cats in the area had slash wounds. 

The first five attacks took place between 25 April and 4 May. The perpetrator resumed his attacks on 19 May and 20 May, as another five cats were found with the same injuries.

The first batch comprised family cats, while three out of five of the second batch were feral. One of the feral mother cats was found with two slash wounds on her back.

As one caretaker in the area, Ms Nicole Chan, noted: The slashes look like they were made by a very sharp object and looked to be human-inflicted.”

Her husbands added that the attacker had initially hurt the most friendly cats but then apparently sought more timid ones, seemingly having “some kind of compulsion on it.”

Since the injured felines were found, nine have been placed in boarding facilities in Lim Chu Kang and at The Animal Lodge.

One cat has been treated at the SPCA and is recovering well, while the others have been treated at private clinics.

Leow, if found guilty, can be jailed for up to 18 months, or fined up to S$15,000, or face both penalties for each charge of animal cruelty.

He will return to court on 27 July.

If you wish to report suspected cases of animal cruelty, you can do so here or call the Animal Response Centre at 1800 476 1600.

Featured Image: Facebook (Ning Wong)

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]