Guest guest Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Cat abuser nabbed again for hitting kitten The Straits Times Tanya Fong 28 Jun 2006 The four-month-old kitten found outside Hooi's flat had to be put down after a vet at SPCA said it suffered suspected brain damage. The Bedok North cat abuser has struck again. Police arrested David Hooi Yin Weng, 43, at 2am yesterday after his neighbour found a limp, bleeding kitten outside his flat. He had already been jailed earlier this year for cat abuse. The stray cat was unable to walk and had broken teeth. Hooi's neighbour called Madam Sharifa Khamis, 40, who feeds the stray cats in the neighbourhood. Madam Sharifa and a friend, Ms Sandy Lim, then went to Hooi's flat. Said Ms Lim: " I had to make small talk with him before he let me into his flat. That was when I saw the blood stains on his kitchen walls. I asked him how they got there. He said it was from the cat he hit because it pooped on his bed. " Hooi's neighbour, housewife Lim Siew Eng, 60, said he had asked her to look after the grey-and-white kitten last Saturday. Madam Lim told The Straits Times: " He said he picked up the cat from a coffee shop at Block 537 and needed someone to look after it, because he wanted to watch football. I knew he was jailed before for cat abuse, but he said the cat belonged to him and it looked OK. So I returned it to him. " The next day, the cat wandered out of his flat. Madam Lim said it looked fine - until Monday morning, when she found it outside Hooi's flat. " It was very weak and wet. When I picked it up, there was blood all over its mouth " said Madam Lim. She cleaned off the blood and dried the cat, but it still wouldn't move. Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), attended to the case at 4am yesterday with a vet. Said Ms Moss: " The kitten's eyes were both swollen. It had a blood clot in its mouth and was semi-comatose. The vet said it suffered suspected brain damage likely caused by trauma to its head. " The kitten had to be put down. Its body has been sent for post-mortem at the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority. In March, Hooi was jailed for three months after he pleaded guilty to torturing a female kitten at his rented flat in Block 544, Bedok North Street 3, in November last year. On that occasion, police, alerted by Hooi's neighbours, found the kitten with its left eye protruding and blood stains on the nostrils. The kitten had to be put to sleep because of the severity of its injuries. The penalty for animal abuse is a fine of up to $10,000 or a jail term of up to 12 months, or both, under the Animals and Birds Act. Pleading for leniency in court, Hooi said he had made a " mistake " and would not do it again. The Community Court, set up earlier this month to deal with " special " offenders like animal abusers, can order mandatory counselling. Said consultant psychiatrist Ko Soo Meng: " A custodial sentence alone may not help, even if it deters potential abusers. Those who abuse animals lack empathy and may have anger management problems. Some may have psychopathic traits. These are issues which need to be worked through to deter the animal abuser from future deviant behaviour. " [Photo] Hooi's latest victim http://www.flickr.com/photos/catwelfare/176712955/ ................... CAT ABUSER TO GET PSYCHIATRIC CHECK DAVID Hooi Yin Weng, 42, the Bedok North man jailed earlier this year for torturing a cat, was up in court again yesterday, charged with repeatedly hitting a four-month-old kitten, which had to be put down. In March, he was given a three-month jail term for torturing a cat in November last year. Yesterday, District Judge May Mesenas granted the prosecution's application to remand him at the Institute of Mental Health. The judge told him she wanted to see the psychiatric assessment to find out why he repeatedly abused animals. If convicted, Hooi could be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to 12 months. He will be back in court on July 12. http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/portal/sti/search/Search.jsp ......................... Singapore News Today Online Thursday, June 29, 2006 Tan Hwee Hwee Culling animal abuse How should serial offenders be dealt with to prevent further incidents? HE WAS charged in court yesterday for allegedly torturing a cat, barely four months after being convicted of animal abuse. Sentenced to spend three months in jail from March, David Hooi Yin Weng was let out early on April 14. In the months since his release, volunteers in his Bedok neighbourhood had called the police several times when they spotted Hooi with cats — an experience which they wrote to Today about, in a letter published on May 11. Meanwhile, with a mystery cat-killer in Old Airport Road still at large despite numerous alerts raised by residents, concerned animal activists are asking: Why is it so difficult to apprehend serial abusers? Said Ms Sharifah Khamis, who discovered the cat that Hooi has recently been accused of torturing to the point that it had to be put to sleep: " People may come to tell us of animals being abused, but when it comes to giving evidence in court, they refuse to do so because they are frightened. " The 40-year-old saleswoman has also found, from past experience, that in order to get police to take action against an animal abuser, volunteers have to enlist the help of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or the Cat Welfare Society (CWS). " Sometimes there's evidence against the abuser, but we volunteers have to talk to both societies to work together to make the case strong before the police will do anything. " Ms Dawn Kua, director of operations at the CWS, told Today: " The laws we have are very good — we are already strict enough — but the problems are in enforcement. " When volunteers go to the police, they are often given the runaround and referred to welfare societies. But societies like ours can't prosecute, only the police can prosecute. The police need to treat animal abuse as a crime like any other. " Animal-lover Dr Tan Chek Wee felt that jailing offenders such as Hooi — who had earlier confessed to having killed cats since he was 15 — might not be the best solution, and that counselling would be a better alternative. " Someone like Hooi needs help. There's also a need to ensure he gets enough support from the community once released. This is a case where the person involved is both the victim and the abuser, " said Dr Tan, 50. But Ms Kua also points to the habitual cat-culling by the authorities as a problem. " We kill 35 cats a day, about 13,000 cats every year. Abused cats are only a small proportion of these. We are sending out the wrong message: That it's okay to kill cats in some cases. " http://www.todayonline.com/articles/127514.asp ........................ Letters from readers: Voices // Today Online Wednesday, June 28, 2006 today it's cats, tomorrow humans? AFTER my letter about the cat killings in Old Airport Road ( " Animal abuse continues, and so does indifference " , May 8), was published, the killer lay low for a while. Then, on May 30, a large cat, a handsome Siamese-crossbreed, was found dead in the area. His head was drooped over the pavement, and blood was still dripping from his nose and mouth. The blood stains on the pillars and walls, some of which even had fingerprint smears, told us the killer was back in action. If the victim was a human being, the fingerprints may have led to the murderer's arrest by now. But frustratingly, because the victim is a cat, the killer is still on the loose. His crimes are now an open secret. So, I believe that being able to get away despite the proof he left behind may have added to the killer's thrill. To the small volunteer patrol team, his audacity is shocking and an outrage. It is also worrisome. The correlation between animal abuse and violence, including child abuse and domestic abuse, is irrefutable. Animal abusers may eventually step up their criminal activities, finding bigger and more challenging victims. Abusers often embark on their cruelty campaign in their teenage years, and if unchecked, may sustain their murderous spree for years (convicted animal abuser David Hooi, 42, had killed cats since the age of 15). In May 1997, the decapitated body of 11-year-old boy Jun Hase was found in Kobe, Japan. His head was left outside the gates of a junior high school, a written note stuffed in his mouth. His macabre end was preceded by that of Ayaka Yamashita, a 10-year-old girl bludgeoned to death in March the same year. The culprit? A 14-year-old boy who mutilated cats, beheaded pigeons, and tortured and killed young animals as a form of hobby. He was also responsible for at least three unsuccessful attacks on young girls around the time of Ayaka's death. The Kobe Killer, as he was dubbed, was sent to a youth reformatory. But since his supervised parole ended in 2004, even his father has lost contact with him. I shudder to think where and when he will strike again. Animal abuse is about power. With the recent expose on bullying in our schools, we cannot ignore the similarity with these power thrill bullies. Conversely, animal abuse may be an outlet for the bullied: Victims may mirror their tormentors, venting their pain on even weaker victims. There is a lesson here for Singapore, especially parents. Some dismiss their children's cruel behaviour towards animals as " child's play " . However, parents need to realise that childhood cruelty to animals is a red flag for mental illness, and future violent behaviour towards humans. You do not need to be an animal lover to understand that animal cruelty is wrong, that animal abuse is a serious crime. It is a greater issue than just being about a few misbehaving kids, lacking in basic discipline. Animal abuse is society's problem. It affects everyone living in this supposedly safe island. Government, schools, teachers, and parents can play a very important part in instilling the correct attitude in children. And it is a simple message: " Respect all living things with whom you share this island. " The Kobe Killer is a grim reminder of what could happen if animal abuse is not recognised as the societal ill that it is. As Saint Francis of Assisi said: " If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men. " This opinion was contributed by a reader. http://www.todayonline.com/articles/127238.asp [Photo] A victim of the Old Airport Road abuser http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/1866/320/abused%20cat%201.6.jpg ................. Voices // Weekend Today Online July 1, 2006 Punishment should fit the crime for animal abusers WHEN will the authorities really punish animal abusers and uphold justice for lives lost? When a case of animal abuse is reported to the police, the thinking seems to be: " It's just an animal. Why waste our time when someone is vandalising a property elsewhere? " There are brave volunteers out there, ordinary citizens who put their lives at risk and formed groups to patrol and hunt down the cat killer at Old Airport Road. Let's not forget the case of David Hooi, who was released from jail before the three-month sentence he was given ended. The public had spoken out against the light sentence for someone who had reportedly been torturing cats for years, arguing that three months could not possibly transform a vicious killer. Now, Hooi has been arrested and charged again. We are not born with the mentality that kicking or strangling a helpless animal is acceptable; the environment and society we are brought up in are responsible for shaping our values and beliefs. So, what does that say about our culture? What are parents teaching their children? Why are the authorities being so lenient? http://www.todayonline.com/articles/127917.asp ............. Voices // Monday, Today Online May 8, 2006 Cat-killings still a problem Animal abuse continues, and so does indifference It seems that the brief jail sentence for serial cat killer, David Hooi, hasn't deterred anyone from abusing animals. In recent months, residents of the Old Airport Road area often heard piteous cries of cats. These poor cats were tortured to death with screwdrivers or strangled with metal wires. There was also a case of a kitten being thrown against a wall repeatedly until it died. Their bodies are then usually laid out neatly on the top decks of Block 56A, Cassia Crescent and Block 93A, Jalan Dua multi-storey carparks. Having to clear the dead bodies and clean the bloodied walls has deeply affected a poor cleaner, a cat lover himself. The cleaner filed a report with the neighbourhood police with the blood-stained weapons he found at the crime scene but was apparently turned away without a proper statement recorded. The reason? Lack of evidence! In the eyes of the law, I suppose, evidence against animal cruelty means a complete witnessed account of the cruel act itself. It is puzzling and frustrating that the police can't seem to call on modern forensics to identify the killer through the blood-stained weapons. A concerned resident took action and wrote to the Town Council, which said her concern has been forwarded to the police for their necessary action. As the killings continue, a follow-up on the case revealed that the police had supposedly increased the frequency of patrolling the multi-storey carparks. But the killings still go on. Residents are restless and worried. More worryingly, residents have also reported more than one abuser in the vicinity. A team of concerned animal lovers, of which I am a member, has been distributing flyers to raise awareness of the killings. We have also started patrolling the affected areas but are limited in resources and manpower. When it comes to animal cruelty cases, there is always that nagging fear that the killers will be bored with torturing little animals and move on to bigger things. Animal cruelty is fast becoming a serious issue; it should no longer be swept under the rug. We are the voice for animals. If we don't stand up for them, they will only suffer in silence. http://www.todayonline.com/articles/117068.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2006 Report Share Posted July 9, 2006 I hope this time he gets the max. penalty. Having a world society push for justice definitely makes a difference enforcing laws. Liz OAARS Cate <cateanna wrote: Cat abuser nabbed again for hitting kitten The Straits Times Tanya Fong 28 Jun 2006 The four-month-old kitten found outside Hooi's flat had to be put down after a vet at SPCA said it suffered suspected brain damage. The Bedok North cat abuser has struck again. Police arrested David Hooi Yin Weng, 43, at 2am yesterday after his neighbour found a limp, bleeding kitten outside his flat. He had already been jailed earlier this year for cat abuse. The stray cat was unable to walk and had broken teeth. Hooi's neighbour called Madam Sharifa Khamis, 40, who feeds the stray cats in the neighbourhood. Madam Sharifa and a friend, Ms Sandy Lim, then went to Hooi's flat. Said Ms Lim: " I had to make small talk with him before he let me into his flat. That was when I saw the blood stains on his kitchen walls. I asked him how they got there. He said it was from the cat he hit because it pooped on his bed. " Hooi's neighbour, housewife Lim Siew Eng, 60, said he had asked her to look after the grey-and-white kitten last Saturday. Madam Lim told The Straits Times: " He said he picked up the cat from a coffee shop at Block 537 and needed someone to look after it, because he wanted to watch football. I knew he was jailed before for cat abuse, but he said the cat belonged to him and it looked OK. So I returned it to him. " The next day, the cat wandered out of his flat. Madam Lim said it looked fine - until Monday morning, when she found it outside Hooi's flat. " It was very weak and wet. When I picked it up, there was blood all over its mouth " said Madam Lim. She cleaned off the blood and dried the cat, but it still wouldn't move. Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), attended to the case at 4am yesterday with a vet. Said Ms Moss: " The kitten's eyes were both swollen. It had a blood clot in its mouth and was semi-comatose. The vet said it suffered suspected brain damage likely caused by trauma to its head. " The kitten had to be put down. Its body has been sent for post-mortem at the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority. In March, Hooi was jailed for three months after he pleaded guilty to torturing a female kitten at his rented flat in Block 544, Bedok North Street 3, in November last year. On that occasion, police, alerted by Hooi's neighbours, found the kitten with its left eye protruding and blood stains on the nostrils. The kitten had to be put to sleep because of the severity of its injuries. The penalty for animal abuse is a fine of up to $10,000 or a jail term of up to 12 months, or both, under the Animals and Birds Act. Pleading for leniency in court, Hooi said he had made a " mistake " and would not do it again. The Community Court, set up earlier this month to deal with " special " offenders like animal abusers, can order mandatory counselling. Said consultant psychiatrist Ko Soo Meng: " A custodial sentence alone may not help, even if it deters potential abusers. Those who abuse animals lack empathy and may have anger management problems. Some may have psychopathic traits. These are issues which need to be worked through to deter the animal abuser from future deviant behaviour. " [Photo] Hooi's latest victim http://www.flickr.com/photos/catwelfare/176712955/ ................... CAT ABUSER TO GET PSYCHIATRIC CHECK DAVID Hooi Yin Weng, 42, the Bedok North man jailed earlier this year for torturing a cat, was up in court again yesterday, charged with repeatedly hitting a four-month-old kitten, which had to be put down. In March, he was given a three-month jail term for torturing a cat in November last year. Yesterday, District Judge May Mesenas granted the prosecution's application to remand him at the Institute of Mental Health. The judge told him she wanted to see the psychiatric assessment to find out why he repeatedly abused animals. If convicted, Hooi could be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for up to 12 months. He will be back in court on July 12. http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/portal/sti/search/Search.jsp ......................... Singapore News Today Online Thursday, June 29, 2006 Tan Hwee Hwee Culling animal abuse How should serial offenders be dealt with to prevent further incidents? HE WAS charged in court yesterday for allegedly torturing a cat, barely four months after being convicted of animal abuse. Sentenced to spend three months in jail from March, David Hooi Yin Weng was let out early on April 14. In the months since his release, volunteers in his Bedok neighbourhood had called the police several times when they spotted Hooi with cats — an experience which they wrote to Today about, in a letter published on May 11. Meanwhile, with a mystery cat-killer in Old Airport Road still at large despite numerous alerts raised by residents, concerned animal activists are asking: Why is it so difficult to apprehend serial abusers? Said Ms Sharifah Khamis, who discovered the cat that Hooi has recently been accused of torturing to the point that it had to be put to sleep: " People may come to tell us of animals being abused, but when it comes to giving evidence in court, they refuse to do so because they are frightened. " The 40-year-old saleswoman has also found, from past experience, that in order to get police to take action against an animal abuser, volunteers have to enlist the help of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or the Cat Welfare Society (CWS). " Sometimes there's evidence against the abuser, but we volunteers have to talk to both societies to work together to make the case strong before the police will do anything. " Ms Dawn Kua, director of operations at the CWS, told Today: " The laws we have are very good — we are already strict enough — but the problems are in enforcement. " When volunteers go to the police, they are often given the runaround and referred to welfare societies. But societies like ours can't prosecute, only the police can prosecute. The police need to treat animal abuse as a crime like any other. " Animal-lover Dr Tan Chek Wee felt that jailing offenders such as Hooi — who had earlier confessed to having killed cats since he was 15 — might not be the best solution, and that counselling would be a better alternative. " Someone like Hooi needs help. There's also a need to ensure he gets enough support from the community once released. This is a case where the person involved is both the victim and the abuser, " said Dr Tan, 50. But Ms Kua also points to the habitual cat-culling by the authorities as a problem. " We kill 35 cats a day, about 13,000 cats every year. Abused cats are only a small proportion of these. We are sending out the wrong message: That it's okay to kill cats in some cases. " http://www.todayonline.com/articles/127514.asp ........................ Letters from readers: Voices // Today Online Wednesday, June 28, 2006 today it's cats, tomorrow humans? AFTER my letter about the cat killings in Old Airport Road ( " Animal abuse continues, and so does indifference " , May 8), was published, the killer lay low for a while. Then, on May 30, a large cat, a handsome Siamese-crossbreed, was found dead in the area. His head was drooped over the pavement, and blood was still dripping from his nose and mouth. The blood stains on the pillars and walls, some of which even had fingerprint smears, told us the killer was back in action. If the victim was a human being, the fingerprints may have led to the murderer's arrest by now. But frustratingly, because the victim is a cat, the killer is still on the loose. His crimes are now an open secret. So, I believe that being able to get away despite the proof he left behind may have added to the killer's thrill. To the small volunteer patrol team, his audacity is shocking and an outrage. It is also worrisome. The correlation between animal abuse and violence, including child abuse and domestic abuse, is irrefutable. Animal abusers may eventually step up their criminal activities, finding bigger and more challenging victims. Abusers often embark on their cruelty campaign in their teenage years, and if unchecked, may sustain their murderous spree for years (convicted animal abuser David Hooi, 42, had killed cats since the age of 15). In May 1997, the decapitated body of 11-year-old boy Jun Hase was found in Kobe, Japan. His head was left outside the gates of a junior high school, a written note stuffed in his mouth. His macabre end was preceded by that of Ayaka Yamashita, a 10-year-old girl bludgeoned to death in March the same year. The culprit? A 14-year-old boy who mutilated cats, beheaded pigeons, and tortured and killed young animals as a form of hobby. He was also responsible for at least three unsuccessful attacks on young girls around the time of Ayaka's death. The Kobe Killer, as he was dubbed, was sent to a youth reformatory. But since his supervised parole ended in 2004, even his father has lost contact with him. I shudder to think where and when he will strike again. Animal abuse is about power. With the recent expose on bullying in our schools, we cannot ignore the similarity with these power thrill bullies. Conversely, animal abuse may be an outlet for the bullied: Victims may mirror their tormentors, venting their pain on even weaker victims. There is a lesson here for Singapore, especially parents. Some dismiss their children's cruel behaviour towards animals as " child's play " . However, parents need to realise that childhood cruelty to animals is a red flag for mental illness, and future violent behaviour towards humans. You do not need to be an animal lover to understand that animal cruelty is wrong, that animal abuse is a serious crime. It is a greater issue than just being about a few misbehaving kids, lacking in basic discipline. Animal abuse is society's problem. It affects everyone living in this supposedly safe island. Government, schools, teachers, and parents can play a very important part in instilling the correct attitude in children. And it is a simple message: " Respect all living things with whom you share this island. " The Kobe Killer is a grim reminder of what could happen if animal abuse is not recognised as the societal ill that it is. As Saint Francis of Assisi said: " If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men. " This opinion was contributed by a reader. http://www.todayonline.com/articles/127238.asp [Photo] A victim of the Old Airport Road abuser http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3520/1866/320/abused%20cat%201.6.jpg ................. Voices // Weekend Today Online July 1, 2006 Punishment should fit the crime for animal abusers WHEN will the authorities really punish animal abusers and uphold justice for lives lost? When a case of animal abuse is reported to the police, the thinking seems to be: " It's just an animal. Why waste our time when someone is vandalising a property elsewhere? " There are brave volunteers out there, ordinary citizens who put their lives at risk and formed groups to patrol and hunt down the cat killer at Old Airport Road. Let's not forget the case of David Hooi, who was released from jail before the three-month sentence he was given ended. The public had spoken out against the light sentence for someone who had reportedly been torturing cats for years, arguing that three months could not possibly transform a vicious killer. Now, Hooi has been arrested and charged again. We are not born with the mentality that kicking or strangling a helpless animal is acceptable; the environment and society we are brought up in are responsible for shaping our values and beliefs. So, what does that say about our culture? What are parents teaching their children? Why are the authorities being so lenient? http://www.todayonline.com/articles/127917.asp ............. Voices // Monday, Today Online May 8, 2006 Cat-killings still a problem Animal abuse continues, and so does indifference It seems that the brief jail sentence for serial cat killer, David Hooi, hasn't deterred anyone from abusing animals. In recent months, residents of the Old Airport Road area often heard piteous cries of cats. These poor cats were tortured to death with screwdrivers or strangled with metal wires. There was also a case of a kitten being thrown against a wall repeatedly until it died. Their bodies are then usually laid out neatly on the top decks of Block 56A, Cassia Crescent and Block 93A, Jalan Dua multi-storey carparks. Having to clear the dead bodies and clean the bloodied walls has deeply affected a poor cleaner, a cat lover himself. The cleaner filed a report with the neighbourhood police with the blood-stained weapons he found at the crime scene but was apparently turned away without a proper statement recorded. The reason? Lack of evidence! In the eyes of the law, I suppose, evidence against animal cruelty means a complete witnessed account of the cruel act itself. It is puzzling and frustrating that the police can't seem to call on modern forensics to identify the killer through the blood-stained weapons. A concerned resident took action and wrote to the Town Council, which said her concern has been forwarded to the police for their necessary action. As the killings continue, a follow-up on the case revealed that the police had supposedly increased the frequency of patrolling the multi-storey carparks. But the killings still go on. Residents are restless and worried. More worryingly, residents have also reported more than one abuser in the vicinity. A team of concerned animal lovers, of which I am a member, has been distributing flyers to raise awareness of the killings. We have also started patrolling the affected areas but are limited in resources and manpower. When it comes to animal cruelty cases, there is always that nagging fear that the killers will be bored with torturing little animals and move on to bigger things. Animal cruelty is fast becoming a serious issue; it should no longer be swept under the rug. We are the voice for animals. If we don't stand up for them, they will only suffer in silence. http://www.todayonline.com/articles/117068.asp For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the search feature on the AAPN website: http://www.aapn.org/ or search the list archives at: aapn Please feel free to send any relevant news or comments to the list at aapn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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