A MAN who left his dog to suffer by confining it in his apartment balcony has been fined $5,000 for animal cruelty.

On Aug 20, a judge found Roy Ling Chun Yee guilty of subjecting his pet to "unnecessary suffering" by exposing it to sun and rain on the balcony, and not providing it with enough food and water. Concerned residents at Ling's condominium had notified the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in 2011.

SPCA executive director Corrine Fong said the verdict "sets a precedent for the future whenever the SPCA is called on to investigate cases where owners persist in keeping their pets in unacceptable living conditions".

Under section 42(1)(e) of the Animals and Birds Act, those found guilty of causing an animal unnecessary pain or suffering can be fined up to $10,000, jailed up to 12 months or both.