Boy Who Threw Cat in Boon Lay HDB Flat Issued a Stern Warning After Completing a “Diversionary Programme”

Remember the ten-year-old boy who threw an old community cat off the 22nd storey of a Housing Development Board (HDB) flat in Boon Lay in December?

Since the incident occurred on 14 December 2022, there has been no news about what happened next.

After many months of silence, there are now updates on the situation.

Boy Completed a Month-Long Guidance Programme

On 28 July, at an online press conference held by the National Parks Board (NParks), the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) revealed that the boy has completed a month-long guidance programme.

According to AVS, the boy has also been issued a stern warning from the agency.

Furthermore, group director of AVS, Jessica Kwok, highlighted that the boy underwent an assessment by a psychiatrist from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) after the investigation.

The psychiatrist found that the boy was not mature enough to understand the gravity of his actions, let alone its consequences.

Recap of the Incident

In December 2022, a Facebook video showing a boy hurling a cat down an HDB block began circulating.

The CCTV footage showed the boy exiting the lift and chasing the cat, fondly known as Panther, out of the elevator.

He then caught it in his arm and began surveying his surroundings for potential witnesses.

After this, the boy threw the cat off the building and walked away.

Unfortunately, Panther died from the impact.

Ms Umi Solikati, who fed Panther for 11 years, found the poor cat’s body at the void deck of the HDB flat.

When confronted by a neighbour over the incident, the boy said that he did it due to a lack of love and attention from his family.

This caused major outrage among the community.

A petition to seek justice for Panther received over 90,000 signatures.

A police report was made. 

More Details About the Programme

Ms Kwok said, “The psychiatrist from IMH ascertained that the boy did not have the maturity to understand the nature and consequences of what he did.”

First-time animal abusers that are caught face a fine of up to $15,000, a jail term of up to 18 months, or both.

In addition, the minimum age of criminal responsibility is ten.

However, a child between ten and 12 deemed not to have enough maturity to understand the consequences of their criminal actions cannot be held criminally responsible.

Thus, AVS had to consult with the Attorney-General’s Chambers on how to proceed.

Considering his psychiatric assessment and age, the boy was placed on AVS’s Diversionary Programme, which seemed “the most appropriate course of action”.

The programme focuses on education and practice, placing a significant emphasis on rehabilitation by helping the offender understand animal welfare, how to care for animals and living with animals in the community.

The programme is also meant to help offenders understand why their actions were wrong and harmful.

During the programme, the boy learnt about animal welfare and laws protecting animals in Singapore.

He also had to go for sessions at a cat shelter and learn how to care for cats properly by feeding, handling and grooming them.

So, why was there silence about the incident for the past half a year?

According to Ms Kwok, the boy participated in the programme during the June holidays “so that his schoolwork was not interrupted”, which explains why updates took so long to be revealed to the public.

His father accompanied him throughout the programme.

Ms Kwok said, “He completed the programme satisfactorily and is now able to understand why his actions were wrong… he wanted to convey his remorse and apology to the cat’s caregivers and said that he would not do it again.”

Besides being given a stern warning, AVS will continue to work with the boy’s school and parents to monitor him.

Frustration from the Community

When asked if this is the stance that AVS will take when dealing with underage children who abuse animals, Ms Kwok noted that the agency takes all cases seriously.

However, she noted, “Beyond the age, we also have to look at other factors, like working with psychiatrists to better understand their level of maturity. We want to work with the schools and families as well. For this particular case, we decided that the diversionary programme was the most appropriate.”

The Straits Times reported that many cat feeders and rescuers were disappointed in the conclusion of the investigations. 

Since the Facebook video was first posted, many netizens agreed that the boy’s age should not be used as an excuse.

An independent cat rescuer, Wati, told The Straits Times, “The video showed that boy looking furtively left and right because he wanted (the area) to be clear of witnesses. How can they say he did not have sufficient maturity to understand the nature and consequences of his action?

“Age has become less of a factor now. People are ‘maturing’ at a much younger age because of exposure, education, awareness.”

In a previous interview with The Straits Times in April 2023, the 50-year-old, who has been rescuing animals for ten years, expressed her frustrations.

She said, “We’ve come to a point where there has to be real action – enough has been done to educate the public. These cases show that enforcement and deterrence are not effective enough.

“These perpetrators, they know what they are doing.”

Similarly, Boon Lay community cat feeder 75-year-old Chua Mui Mui said, “It has been proven that the ten-year-olds today have enough sense to know what they are doing is right or wrong. I don’t think the stern warning this time will have any deterrent effect. I believe that he is waiting for people’s memories to gradually fade before he does it again.”

Ms Kwok said that investigations into animal abuse cases are often challenging due to the lack of witnesses and direct evidence.

Furthermore, carcasses are sometimes in bad condition, “making post-mortem analyses impossible”.

“Disproportionately High Number” of Abuse Cases in 2023

Ms Umi, who found Panther’s dead body, began patrolling the area as she feared more cats would be abused.

On 30 March, another cat was found dead 350m from her block.

It seemed to have been beaten to death.

She told The Straits Times, “I’m very afraid that more cats will be abused. Sometimes I walk around till past midnight looking out for cats.

“When I’m at home, if I hear something, such as a cat yowling like it’s in danger, I’ll quickly run outside to see what’s going on.”

In April 2023, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) executive director Aarthi Sankar noted that the organisation has observed a “disproportionately high number” of cat abuse cases in 2023 thus far.

If you want to compare, SPCA investigated 11 such cases from January to March 2023 alone.

In 2022, the organisation investigated a total of 16 cases across the whole year.

Cat Welfare Society (CWS) president Thenuga Vijakumar noted that there has been a rise in numbers due to increased vigilance.

CWS plans to do its part by launching a programme in the second half of 2023 for schools to educate students on caring for community animals.

SPCA has appealed to parents to do more to help children understand the importance of caring for animals.