Cat thrown from 13th floor in Yishun; man granted bail for Chinese New Year
Lee Wai Leong, 40, was accused of throwing a tabby cat from the 13th floor of Block 115B Yishun Ring Road in late 2015, one of at least 19 cat deaths or injuries reported across Yishun during that period. He was granted $10,000 bail on 19 January 2016 to spend Chinese New Year with his family, with his father posting the bond. Lee had been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric assessment following his arrest.
In May 2016, Lee pleaded guilty to one charge under the Animals and Birds Act for causing the cat's death. His defence lawyer revealed that Lee's parents had confined him to the house since his release from remand, locking both the main gate and master bedroom door to prevent him from "going out wandering in the night." A psychiatric report indicated Lee had moderate intellectual disability. District Judge Mathew Joseph noted that Lee "did not act with perverse cruelty" and agreed to a probation suitability report, with both the defence and Deputy Public Prosecutor supporting this approach. Lee was described by his lawyer as "simple-minded," and the case proceeded toward sentencing with consideration of extended supervision as a possible probation condition.
On 7 June 2016, Lee was sentenced to 18 months' probation — the first person sentenced under the amended Animals and Birds Act. District Judge Mathew Joseph explicitly stated that the "wrong impression" that Lee was linked to the several other Yishun cat deaths should NOT be made — Lee faced only one charge, for one cat, and is the single prosecuted case, distinct from the broader unsolved series.
- 30 Oct 2015coconuts.co
- 19 Jan 2016coconuts.co
- 10 May 2016sg.news.yahoo.com
- 07 Jun 2016malaymail.com(foreign-linked news source)
- Undatedsg.news.yahoo.com
- Undatedmothership.sg