Ang Mo Kio cat slashings: Suspect gets 6 new charges, says he did not commit any offences

• Leow Wei Liang now faces seven charges over the slashings of cats that drew public ire earlier this year
• He repeatedly said he did not do that and asked if any cameras had captured him doing so
• The judge revealed that Leow was diagnosed with autism and underlying antisocial personality disorder
• The prosecution said that he was still able to understand the consequences of his actions and it is seeking jail time for him

SINGAPORE — A 37-year-old man who was earlier charged with slashing a cat in Ang Mo Kio, in relation to a series of similar attacks that began in late April, was handed six new charges on Wednesday (July 7).

Leow Wei Liang is now accused of using a penknife to slash six other felines. The offences allegedly happened on:

• April 25 – A grey-and-white cat named Dino at lift lobby B of Block 343, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3

• May 2 – A black cat named Boyboy at the grass patch of Block 346, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3

• May 3 – A black cat named Kopi at the SP power station next to Block 343, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3

• May 19 – A grey cat named Milo at the second floor of the above mentioned block

• May 20: A calico cat named Mummy and a tortoiseshell cat named Daughter at the SP power station next to Block 337, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1

This means that Leow now faces seven charges of animal cruelty, in particular causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal, under the Animals and Birds Act.

He was previously charged with slashing a white feline with grey patches named Miki on the morning of May 2. This happened at the staircase of a multi-storey car park at Block 352A, Ang Mo Kio Street 32.

In a case that drew public ire, 10 cats were found injured with deep linear cuts in Ang Mo Kio, TODAY reported in May.

When Leow was first charged last month, he refused to show his face but was heard moaning and crying through a video-link from the Central Police Division.

He was then taken to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for a two-week psychiatric assessment.

Court records showed that on June 23, when he returned to court from IMH, a prosecutor said that the investigation officer had contacted his mother and siblings, who did not want to bail him out because they could not manage him.

In his medical report, it was stated that Leow has a tendency to self-harm. The prosecutor also said he admitted to the slashings in his police statements.

He was then offered bail of S$10,000 but has remained in remand since his arrest.

HAS AUTISM, ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

On Wednesday, when an interpreter read his new charges to him in Mandarin, he retorted with statements such as “cats run faster than humans” and “cats hide under cars”.

He also repeatedly asked if cameras had captured him slashing the cats and that he did not want to go to jail for this.

National Parks Board (NParks) prosecutor Packer Mohammad told the court that it is seeking 12 to 16 weeks’ jail.

Leow — who does not have a lawyer at the moment — then said in Mandarin that he had never slashed any cats because they would run away very quickly and “have four very short legs”.

When he tried to continue talking, District Judge Lorraine Ho cut him off and asked Mr Packer if he had consulted the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

The prosecutor replied that the consultation showed Leow was not eligible for a mandatory treatment order.

The IMH psychiatrist had indicated that Leow was diagnosed with autism and underlying antisocial personality disorder, and Mr Packer also said that Leow's acts of cruelty were “not borne out of any difficulty in comprehending the consequences of his actions”.

A mandatory treatment order is a community sentencing option offered to offenders suffering from mental conditions that contributed to the offence.

District Judge Ho then allowed Leow to make two phone calls for the purpose of raising bail. She told him that if he is released on bail, he has to return to IMH for treatment and reminded him not to commit more offences.

He replied in Mandarin that he had not committed any before.

He will return for a pre-trial conference on July 27.

If convicted of animal cruelty, he faces a jail term of up to one-and-a-half years or a fine of up to S$15,000, or both, for each charge.