(HK) Two men jailed for beating cat to death

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Two men jailed for beating cat to death

 

 

( Loretta Fong, May 15, 2008 )

 

 

Two men who beat a cat to death with a wooden pole were sentenced to

jail yesterday.

While sentencing driver Tse Wing-wai, 24, and technician Leung Siu-tung,

19, Principal Magistrate Garry Tallentire described the offence as

serious and disturbing. Tse was given four months, and Leung was given

three.

 

They had earlier admitted cruelty to an animal and incitement to

ill-treat an animal.

 

Eastern Court had heard the two were seen beating a black cat with

wooden poles on Hin Tsui Street, Siu Sai Wan, at about 1.45am on March 5.

 

Resident Lam Wai-ming woke to the sound of the beating and saw eight

youngsters watching the pair attack the cat.

 

He called police, and the cat's remains were later recovered from a

nearby ditch. The autopsy showed the cat had been struck a fatal blow to

the head.

 

Tse told police he had only wanted to play with the cat, but he became

angry after it jumped on him. He said he and Leung then chased after it.

 

The pair admitted picking up a wooden pole, beating the cat and, after

discovering the animal was dead, dumping it in the ditch.

 

However, the court heard a different story from their friend, Lam

Kwan-ling, who was at the scene. She told police their group of 10 had

been bored, and that Tse and Leung suggested finding a cat to beat.

 

Mr Tallentire said the attack was disturbing, and that the pair had

showed no hint of sympathy.

 

After the sentencing, about 10 members of an animal rights group held a

ritual for the cat outside the court. They burned joss sticks and

chanted slogans.

 

Group spokesman David Wong Kai-yan, the founder of Animal Earth, said

members of the group were furious over the sentencing, which he said was

too light.

 

SPCA spokeswoman Rebecca Ngan Yee-ling hit a similar note, saying the

punishment was light compared with those handed down in recent cases.

She said the terms did not reflect the seriousness of the case.

 

On April 21, a man was jailed for six months at Eastern Court for

beating a pregnant deer with a shovel, the highest penalty handed down

for an animal abuse case.

 

" I think the sentencing in the last case was appropriate. And the

seriousness of killing a cat should be the same as killing a deer, " Ms

Ngan said.

 

Last month, Shu Ngai-fung, 22, who admitted four counts of cruelty to

animals and two of raising pets without a licence was fined HK$12,000

and sentenced to 100 hours' community service in the same court. The

court heard he left seven cats and dogs in three tiny cages out in the

rain in February.

 

 

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