A man in Singapore who was previously sentenced for abusing and killing multiple cats has had his jail term increased from 14 to 27 months, after a court ruled that the original sentence did not reflect the gravity of his crimes, according to Channel News Asia.
Barrie Lin Pengli entered a guilty plea in October to three animal cruelty charges, with two further charges considered by the court. In February, he was sentenced, which prosecutors then appealed.
During the appeal, the judge stated that the lower court erred by relying on overly light precedents and overemphasizing Lin’s depressive disorder. He also described the acts as some of the worst animal cruelty the courts had seen.
“Animal cruelty has no place in a just and humane society and will be met with the full force of the law,” Justice Vincent Hoong said.
Lin started hurting cats in late 2019. In times of frustration, he deliberately headed to a neighborhood where there were plenty of felines he could abuse. He started by kicking them, then progressed to abducting them in sealable bags, and either releasing or killing them.
In other instances, he dropped cats from high-rise buildings and slammed one against a wall.
“A mental condition cannot be a licence to harm others,” Second Chief Prosecutor Isaac Tan said. “We need to send out a clear signal that animal abuse, particularly cases of repeated and heinous abuse to animals, will be (given) substantial terms of imprisonment.”
Lady Freethinker is grateful for the increased sentence in this deeply disturbing case and hopes it sets a precedent for stronger sentencing in future animal cruelty cases.
