Retiree fined S$3,000 for setting neighbour's cat on fire

A 78-year-old retiree was fined S$3,000 for setting his neighbour's cat on fire.

His act caused the cat to foam at the mouth. It also left the cat's face, neck and back badly burnt.

Chua Tuang Seng, a father of two, pleaded guilty to the charge and will have to serve a jail term of two months if he cannot pay the fine.

He committed the offence along the corridor outside his flat in Pasir Ris Drive on September 3 last year.

Chua was sprinkling kerosene around his potted plants to get rid of ants when he noticed the tabby cat hiding among the plants.

He believed the cat had defecated frequently outside his flat.

He used a broom to chase the cat away but it hid below a metal shelf.

Chua then squirted kerosene on it, lit a piece of newspaper and threw it towards the cat.

The badly-burnt animal was later found foaming at the mouth by the sister of its owner, Mdm Salman Mohd Aris.

The 49-year-old woman made a police report.

The cat was sent to Mt Pleasant Veterinary Centre for examination.

The cat suffered from swollen eyelids, skin loss at the neck, and singed fur and was hospitalised for four days.

Chua, who suffers from throat and colon cancer, pleaded for leniency.

District Judge Ng Peng Hong pointed out that Chua's act was "not right".

He ordered Chua to pay Mdm Salman S$1,235 as compensation for medical costs incurred as result of his act.

For the abuse, he could have been jailed up to a year and fined S$10,000.

ORIGINAL SOURCE
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