Singapore is another country where they don't punish animal abusers with enough severity

NEWS AND COMMENT: Animal lovers in Singapore are unhappy with a 12-week jail sentence handed down to a man who decided to slash 11 street cats which inflicted deep and troublesome wounds. It happened in an area called Ang Mo Kio. The wounds were life-threatening on occasions it seems to me. Each count of animal cruelty in Singapore carries a possible jail term of up to 18 months and a maximum fine of 15,000 Singapore dollars or both. So, the sentence could have been much longer.

 Singapore is another country where they don't punish animal abusers with enough severity. Image: MikeB.

Leow Wei Liang, 37, pleaded guilty to 3 of the charges and another four were taken into consideration on sentencing. Animal lovers and volunteers who care for the street cat are angry because he has been under-sentenced. If the report is complete, I would have thought too that the judge could have made an order against this man to recompense the volunteers who paid for expensive veterinary fees out of their own pockets.

Milo's medical fees combined with temporary boarding came to 3,000 Singapore dollars. Milo remains at a boarding facility. He has been there for more than two months recovering from complications from the nasty wounds inflicted on him. Milo, a grey cat, had a 10 cm gash on his left flank.

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Raymond Tan, 44, helped to look after four of the injured cats. He spent nearly a month trying to trap one who was too frightened to come out. When they finally trapped the cat Tan said that "the wound was infested with maggots and the cat was very weak."

He said that he was angry and disappointed with the sentencing. It is the sort of sentencing on conviction for animal abuse and cruelty which not only angers Singaporeans but all decent people who care about the welfare of animals. There has to be a deterrent to animal cruelty and the sentence does not achieve that.

Nicole Chan, 33, a housewife who took care of three of the cats said: "Eleven cats suffered at Leow's hands. And because of what he did, we had to get nine other stray cats off the streets and into boarding facilities to prevent more attacks. There needs to be more deterrence for abusers."