Milestones for Animal Welfare: Public Prosecutor v. Ling Chung Yee Roy

• Main Author: SEE, Alvin W. L.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2014
• Subjects: Cruelty to animals; animal care; court decisions; Singapore; Animal Law; Asian Studies
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/1269; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/3222/viewcontent/AlvinWLSeeMilestonesforAnimalWelfare.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Animal law is a little-known subject in Singapore. However, the increase in public awareness and concern about animal welfare issues demand that more attention is directed at the legal aspects of such issues. An opportunity to examine this area of the law arose in the case of Ling Chung Yee Roy. The District Court, presided by District Judge Ng Peng Hong, had to decide whether the accused was guilty of an animal cruelty offence under s. 42(1)(e) of the Animals and Birds Act. The majority of animal cruelty complaints were against pet owners, of which a significant number concerned the lack of care and improper confinement. While the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals, Singapore, has always been robust in pushing for prosecution for such cases, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore adopts a more passive stance unless the case concerns obvious cruelty.