Singapore Man Faces Jail Time For Disturbing Acts Of Animal Cruelty

A 32-year-old man in Singapore has confessed to committing severe acts of animal cruelty, prompting prosecutors to label the case as “one of the worst” they have encountered. Barrie Lin Pengli pleaded guilty to three charges of animal abuse, with two additional counts being considered at his sentencing scheduled for November 13.

Lin’s actions included kicking and suffocating two cats before ultimately killing them by throwing them from the heights of HDB blocks. Despite acknowledging his struggle with major depressive disorder, Deputy Principal District Judge Kessler Soh declined to impose a mandatory treatment order in lieu of incarceration.

“Rehabilitation has been wholly eclipsed… given the cruelty inflicted by the defendant on the cats and the extreme harm suffered by them,” Judge Soh stated during the proceedings.

The prosecution outlined that Lin’s abusive behavior began around late 2019. Deputy Public Prosecutor Regina Lim noted that Lin would wander through the Ang Mo Kio area when feeling frustrated, targeting the local cats. Initially, he would kick them, but the violence escalated to suffocating them in sealable bags before releasing them.

One of the most alarming incidents occurred in the early hours of April 21, 2020, when Lin dropped a cat from the 12th floor of Block 572 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, killing it instantly. The cat’s body was disposed of and has never been recovered.

In another incident on May 15, Lin dangled a cat over the eighth floor of Block 645 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6. After the frightened cat scratched him, Lin dropped it and subsequently stomped on its neck to ensure it was dead. He discarded the cat’s body in a nearby bus stop bin. An eyewitness to this act alerted the authorities, leading to Lin’s arrest later that day.

Following his arrest, Lin sought psychiatric help, which yielded some improvement. He found full-time employment in November 2021, but his violent tendencies resurfaced on December 27 of that year after a Christmas gathering. That day, Lin was reported to have caught a cat and slammed it against a wall, resulting in the animal screaming in pain before escaping. Community cat feeders intervened, taking the injured cat to a veterinarian, who reported multiple fractures and long-term osteoarthritis.

In her closing remarks, DPP Lim requested a 24-month prison sentence for Lin, emphasizing the brutality of his actions and asserting that he had the capacity to control his impulses despite his mental health issues.

Lin’s attorney, Azri Imran Tan, acknowledged the seriousness of his client’s crimes, describing them as maladaptive attempts to cope with emotional pain. Tan noted that Lin, a first-time offender, expressed deep remorse and has received support from his family following his marriage in September 2023.

Judge Soh recognized Lin’s potential for rehabilitation but underscored the necessity of accountability, stating, “You should, but at the same time, you need to serve the punishment for the crimes you’ve committed.”