Man charged with killing dog by flinging it against wall

SINGAPORE — On Christmas Day last year, a man allegedly flung a dog violently towards a bed, causing it to hit a wall and die. The female toy poodle, named Treasure, had reportedly been abused several times before that.

On Wednesday (May 1), Gerald Kok Zhin Oi, 23, was charged in a district court with seven counts of animal cruelty under the Animals and Birds Act.

TODAY understands that the dog does not belong to Kok, but no further details were disclosed.

Court documents showed that the abuse allegedly started some time last July. Kok is accused of hitting the dog with a sofa cushion about 10 times within 15 minutes, at 4.30am one day.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said that investigations revealed he had allegedly abused the dog on seven different occasions between July and December last year, with the last abuse on Dec 25 resulting in the dog’s death.

That day, Kok is alleged to have first used a plastic clothes hanger to hit the poodle, and moments later, flung it violently towards the corner of a bed twice.

Later that afternoon, he used a sofa cushion to hit the dog twice before again flinging it towards a bed.

This time, the dog did not survive the assaults.

Kok was accompanied by his father at the hearing on Wednesday. He will next appear in court on June 21. If found guilty, he faces a maximum jail term of 18 months or a fine of up to S$15,000, or both.

In a statement, AVA said that it would not hesitate to take enforcement action against any person or organisation found to have committed acts of animal cruelty: “We will press for deterrent sentences, if warranted.”

To report cases of animal cruelty, call the AVA at 1800-476-1600.