Man accused of Ang Mo Kio cat slashings charged in court, remanded at IMH

David Sun
The Straits Times
June 9, 2021

A man who is allegedly behind a series of cat slashings in Ang Mo Kio has been charged.

Leow Wei Liang, 37, was handed one charge of animal cruelty on Wednesday (June 9).

He is accused of slashing a white cat with grey patches with a penknife on May 2 at the carpark staircase of Block 352A Ang Mo Kio Street 32, at about 11am.

During the mention of his case in court conducted remotely, Leow, who was in police custody, refused to appear in shot of the camera.

On the video stream, he could be heard wailing on the ground as officers tried to get him to stand up.

Despite this, District Judge Marvin Bay noted that he was present.

Leow could be heard saying in Mandarin that he did not want to go to jail and pleading to be released.

The prosecution said Leow is believed to be behind the series of cat slashings in Ang Mo Kio, and asked for him to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks.

The judge agreed to this, citing Leow's behaviour in court as a valid reason.

Leow was arrested on Tuesday morning by the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS), which is under the National Parks Board (NParks), with the support of the police.

Since late April, at least 10 cats have been found with deep cuts on their bodies.

The attacks happened between Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.

As a result of the string of cat slashings, some of the neighbourhood cats in the area in Ang Mo Kio were placed in boarding facilities in Lim Chu Kang and at The Animal Lodge.

In a statement on Tuesday, NParks group director of community animal management Jessica Kwok said the safeguarding of animal welfare is a shared social responsibility.

She urged members of the public to promptly report suspected cases of animal cruelty to the AVS.

AVS can be reached at this website or on 1800-476-1600.

Leow is expected to be back in court on June 23 for further mention of his case.

If convicted of animal cruelty, he may be jailed for up to 18 months, or fined up to $15,000, or both.

Repeat offenders may be jailed for up to three years, or fined up to $30,000, or both.