Man gets record 20 months’ jail for animal cruelty

SINGAPORE — In the stiffest sentence ever meted out for animal cruelty, a 45-year-old man was jailed for 20 months on Thursday (Oct 19) for abusing his pet dogs to death and abandoning them.

In a media release, the Agri-Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said dog owner Yeo Poh Kwee was given the maximum 18 months’ imprisonment on one count of animal cruelty, and 12 months on another count. Both sentences will run concurrently.

He was also sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for pet abandonment. One count of keeping an unlicensed dog was taken into consideration for sentencing.

On Nov 23 last year, the AVA was alerted to a case of a toy poodle which died after sustaining multiple injuries. Yeo, the owner of the dog named Brownie, claimed it had been injured after its head was stuck between a water pipe and wall in the toilet.

However, further investigations by AVA revealed that Yeo did not take the dog to the veterinarian for treatment, which resulted in its death.

A month later, Yeo came under suspicion again when another toy poodle, Yoyi, was found dead at a staircase landing of a block of flats at Teban Gardens Road. There were blood stains on the nearby walls and floors.

Investigations revealed that Yoyi belonged to Yeo, but was not licensed. It turned out that Yeo had brought the dog to the block of flats with the intention of abandoning it. He ran down the stairs from the 38th to 19th floors of the block, dragging Yoyi with him on a leash. The dog banged against the walls, floors and stairs on the way down and subsequently died from multiple injuries.

On top of his jail sentence, Yeo will also be banned from owning any animal for 12 months after his release from prison.

For committing animal cruelty, Yeo could have been jailed up to 18 months and/or fined S$15,000. For his first conviction for abandoning his pet, he could have been jailed up to 12 months and/or fined $10,000.

For keeping unlicensed dogs, Yeo could have been fined up to $5,000.

“While AVA continues to ensure that the necessary enforcement action is taken and to raise awareness on animal welfare, members of the public can play their part by being vigilant,” said the agency.

Members of the public can report cases of animal cruelty or welfare through AVA’s 24-hour hotline, 1800-476-1600, or via their website.