Singapore youth faces sentencing after sexually abusing cat, tormenting autistic classmate

Malay Mail

23-05-2025

SINGAPORE, May 23 — A 20-year-old youth pleaded guilty today to charges including performing a lewd act on a neighbor's cat in April 2023, when he was 18 years old.
The incident occurred at around 1.50 AM on April 8, 2023, in a public area outside a Senja Road apartment block where both the offender and cat owner resided, The Straits Times reported.
The youth initially played with the cat by patting it and feeding it cat food he found on a shelf before becoming sexually aroused and performing an obscene act on the animal.
A nearby CCTV camera captured the entire incident, and the footage subsequently went viral after the cat's owner posted it on social media to identify the perpetrator.
The cat's owner took the animal to a veterinarian who confirmed it had sustained no physical injuries, though the cat appeared reluctant to remain outside the flat after the incident.
Police arrested the offender on April 11, 2023, after a member of the public reported the incident to authorities.
In separate unrelated incidents, the same youth systematically bullied and assaulted a 19-year-old course mate who has mild intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder throughout 2022.
The offender, who had a larger build than his victim, engaged in persistent physical and cyber bullying including verbal abuse, threats, tripping, hitting, and demanding money.
The victim remained silent about the abuse due to fear for his safety, as the offender had threatened to hurt him if he reported the incidents to parents, teachers, or anyone else.
On March 31, 2022, the offender sent expletive-laden text messages to the victim and threatened to kill him, while in November 2022, he followed the victim to a toilet and slapped him across the face.
The bullying was only discovered in 2023 when the victim's father found the threatening text messages and filed a police report, leading to charges being filed in 2024.
The court has called for reports to assess the offender's suitability for both probation and reformative training, with sentencing scheduled for July.