SINGAPORE – The police have arrested a teenage boy after a video of a cat being abused in Bukit Panjang went viral.
In response to queries, the police said they made the arrest after they received a report on an alleged case of obscene acts along Senja Road at 12.10am on Tuesday. It added that investigations are ongoing.
In a 56-second video that was circulated on Monday night, a boy is seen trying to perform obscene acts on the feline outside a Housing Board flat.
Despite the cat moving away, the boy is seen going after the animal, carrying it and continuing to carry out such acts against it.
He also appears to grab the cat’s tail for at least six seconds afterwards.
According to the time stamp on the closed-circuit TV surveillance footage, the incident happened just before 2am last Saturday.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) called the contents of the video “deeply distressing”.
It said that it had reported the incident to the authorities after being alerted to the video by a member of the public, and had reached out to the cat’s owner to offer him support.
SPCA executive director Aarthi Sankar added: “The contents of the video are deeply distressing and raise concerns about the rising number of animal abuse and welfare cases, including incidents involving minors in recent years.
“As the SPCA continues to focus our efforts towards education and advocacy, we urge parents and educators to underscore to their children the importance of treating all animals as sentient beings.”
First-time offenders who commit an act of animal cruelty can be fined up to $15,000, jailed up to 18 months, or both.
Repeat offenders face a maximum fine of $30,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both.
If the offender is above 16 years old and below 21, the court can call for a pre-sentence report to decide if he is suitable for probation or the reformative training centre.
The court can also call for a report to assess the boy’s suitability for Mandatory Treatment Order (MTO). Those given an MTO undergo treatment for their mental condition in lieu of jail time.
