Image from The Straits Times/Asia News Network
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A teenager who was caught on video allegedly performing an obscene act on a cat outside an HDB flat in Senja Road was hauled to a district court on March 5.
The 19-year-old youth was charged with one count each of harassment and performing an obscene act in public.
He was also charged with two counts each of assault and theft.
He cannot be named, as he was below 18 years old when some of the offences were allegedly committed.
According to court documents, he turned 18 in July 2022.
The teenager was at a Housing Board block in Senja Road at around 1am on April 8, 2023, when he allegedly performed an obscene act on the cat.
A camera in the vicinity captured the incident and a 56-second clip of the footage went viral subsequently.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported the incident to the authorities after being alerted to the video by a member of the public.
Separately, the youth is accused of stealing a wallet containing items including $10 in cash at a school between 7am and 8.15am on Jan 10, 2022.
He is said to have stolen a comb and a powerbank with four charging cables at the void deck of another Senja Road block of flats five months later. They were worth more than $20 in total.
He allegedly used vulgar words to abuse another person on March 31, 2022, and is also accused of assaulting the same alleged victim on Nov 23, 2022 and Feb 16, 2023.
He is expected to plead guilty on April 16.
For performing an obscene act in public, an offender can be jailed for up to three months and fined.
For each count of assault, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $5,000. - The Straits Times/ANN
