SINGAPORE - A 41-year-old unemployed man has admitted to throwing a cat from the parapet of his block of flats in Yishun Ring Road.

Lee Wai Leong, who has been diagnosed with moderate intellectual disability, committed the offence at Block 115B on Oct 30 last year.

Investigation showed that Lee picked up an adult male tabby cat from a staircase landing nearby before taking the lift to the 13th floor.

He killed it by throwing it over the parapet.

Then Lee took the lift back downstairs to see if the cat managed to survive the fall.

He was not of unsound mind at the time of the alleged offence and was still aware that his actions were wrong, the court heard on Tuesday (May 10).

Lee also told the psychiatrist that he had killed the cat because it had been very noisy and had entered his home once before.

His Criminal Legal Aid Scheme-assigned lawyer, Mr Josephus Tan, said his client was a simple minded person.

Since his release from remand on Jan 19, he said there had been more than six reported cat deaths.

"The killing is unrelenting, but he is not the Yishun serial cat killer,'' he added.

He said Lee's parents had taken it upon themselves to padlock him at home and made sure Lee sleeps in the bedroom with them as they did not want him to wander around at night.

Mr Tan said this was not ideal and could not go on forever.

He told District Judge Mathew Joseph that rehabilitation will be the order of the day, and Lee should get professional help in a more constructive way.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Zu Zhao said that under normal circumstances, jail is the norm for the act of deliberately killing an animal.

In view of his mental condition however, and the fact that Lee had acted without any cruel intent, he said the prosecution would not object to calling a probation report.

Lee will be back in court on June 7 for sentencing.

The maximum penalty for the offence is a $15,000 fine and 18 months' jail.