Man in 30s Arrested for Abusing and Water Torturing a Kitten

Violation of Animal Protection Act and Property Damage
Court: "Severe Injury to Cat... Serious Offense"

Court. Asia Economy DB

A man in his 30s, who was serving a suspended sentence for special injury, was sentenced to prison and taken into custody for assaulting a cat.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the Criminal Division 4 of the Busan District Court Seobu Branch sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted for violating the Animal Protection Act and property damage, to four months in prison. Mr. A was tried for allegedly violently assaulting a cat for about three hours from 3 a.m. on October 6 last year at an office in Hadan-dong, Saha-gu, Busan.

At the time of the incident, Mr. A abused a kitten cared for by office staff by hitting it and subjecting it to water torture. It was also confirmed that he committed the crime while serving a suspended sentence for assaulting a colleague at the office. The prosecution demanded a one-year prison sentence for Mr. A.

The court explained the sentencing reason, stating, "Although there is no prior record of punishment for animal abuse, the defendant inflicted severe injuries on the cat through prolonged abuse, which is a serious offense. Given the previous special injury offense due to assault and the violent tendencies shown, a prison sentence is inevitable."

Park Hyekyung, head of the Busan Animal Love Street Cat Protection Coalition, said, "This is a precedent where the life of an animal can be protected by law," adding, "If strict punishment continues to be imposed on animal abuse, related incidents will significantly decrease."