Assessing mental state of boy who threw cat off Boon Lay block is key to any criminal case, say lawyers & More Trending News
SINGAPORE: Assessing the mental state of a boy who was caught on a closed-circuit tv digital camera throwing a cat off a Housing Board (HDB) block in Boon Lay is key to any criminal case made in opposition to him, lawyers informed CNA on Monday (Dec 19).
The video posted on Facebook confirmed the boy following the black cat out of a elevate, earlier than carrying it up and throwing it over a ledge and off the elevate touchdown. A loud crash might be heard seconds later.
The cat, named Panther, died of its accidents. A police report has been filed, and the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) – a cluster of the National Parks Board – mentioned final week that an investigation is beneath method.
AVS’ government director requested members of the general public “not to speculate on the details of the case and allow investigations to run its proper course”.
An on-line petition calling for authorities to “fully investigate and bring the perpetrator to justice” has collected greater than 57,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
The potential offence in query is cruelty to animals beneath Section 42 of the Animals and Birds Act, mentioned Mr Josephus Tan of Invictus Law Corporation.
The penalty for first-time offenders is up to 18 months’ jail, a high-quality of up to S$15,000 or each.
Given the CCTV footage, Mr Tan mentioned he didn’t suppose there was any dispute as to the boy’s bodily actions. Instead, the pertinent query was concerning the boy’s mental state on the time.
“Does he have sufficient maturity to understand his offending conduct? Was he mentally impaired at the material time of the offence?” requested Mr Tan.
Mr Chua Hock Lu of Kalidass Law Corporation additionally mentioned that an evaluation of the boy’s mental state can be related even when an offence beneath the Act is made out.
The minimal age of criminal duty in Singapore is 10, that means that nothing completed by a baby beneath the age of 10 might be thought of an offence.
A baby between 10 and 12 who doesn’t have sufficient maturity to perceive the character and consequence of his or her conduct additionally can’t be held criminally accountable.
“The main difference between the two is that in the latter, it is up to the Youth Court to decide whether the child has sufficient maturity based on the facts of the case so as to be able to be found guilty of the offending conduct,” mentioned Mr Tan.
The actual age of the boy concerned within the cat throwing incident is not identified.
Mr Tan mentioned it is unlikely that the boy shall be fined or jailed if discovered responsible, and the extra doubtless final result could also be probation with a requirement to fulfil particular situations like counselling and remedy.
Aside from the CCTV footage, many different features of the incident have to be explored by the prosecution in making a case in opposition to the boy, mentioned Mr Shashi Nathan and Ms Laura Yeo of Withers KhattarWong.
“For example, if the boy suffered from any emotional or psychiatric disturbance at the time of the incident,” they added.
In an identical case in 2016, 41-year-old Lee Wai Leong was sentenced to 18 months’ probation after throwing a cat from the thirteenth flooring of an HDB block in Yishun, inflicting its demise.
An Institute of Mental Health evaluation discovered he had reasonable mental incapacity and was “quite obviously simple-minded”, TODAY reported then.
Mr Tan, who was the defence lawyer in that case, informed CNA that Lee’s mental incapacity was the primary consideration as to why the person was not jailed.
Assessing mental state of boy who threw cat off Boon Lay block is key to any criminal case, say lawyers
Assessing mental state of boy who threw cat off Boon Lay block is key to any criminal case, say lawyers
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Assessing mental state of boy who threw cat off Boon Lay block is key to any criminal case, say lawyers