Hong Kong pet owner sentenced to community service for putting cat in washing machine

HONG KONG: A female has been spared jail for trapping her cat in a washing device as punishment for defecating on her garments in a Hong Kong flat last year.

Insurance coverage agent Yuki Wong Yee-ting been given 80 hours of group provider on a depend of animal cruelty at Tuen Mun Court docket on Monday, following a magistrate uncovered that the 29-year-outdated experienced abused her pet out of “momentary malevolence”.

Wong landed herself in courtroom right after putting up a movie on her Instagram account on Feb 7 very last yr, which confirmed her cat locked inside of a spinning washing device for 14 seconds at her flat in Tin Chak Estate in Tin Shui Wai.

The animal can be observed pressing its muzzle from the transparent lid of the leading-loading equipment, at which issue the machine is opened and the animal quickly leaps out.

The girl laughed off the abuse with a caption proclaiming that it was simply a “prank” played on the animal as it had defecated where it was not meant to.

Deputy Magistrate Henry Fung Lim-wai refused to settle the situation with a great, noting that not only experienced Wong turned a blind eye to her cat’s suffering, she had encouraged cruelty in the direction of animals by sharing the video on line.

But Fung acknowledged the probation officer’s suggestion that a shorter period of time of neighborhood service was more than enough to mirror Wong’s culpability and prevent her from reoffending specified the restricted injuries suffered by the cat and the defendant’s willingness to seek support from animal trainers following the incident.

He also mentioned Wong’s superior tutorial qualifications and spouse and children assist in acquiring that the offence was inconsistent with her usual behaviour.

The justice of the peace also requested Wong to pay HK$27,000 (111,500 baht) in professional medical charges to the Culture for the Avoidance of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

In final month’s demo, Wong sought to exonerate herself by saying that her mate was dependable for the unwell-therapy and had subsequently despatched the online video to her.

But she refused to disclose her friend’s entire name and their romance, introducing she had moved overseas and was unable to aid in the investigation.

Wong reported her cat had defecated on her dresses prior to the generation of the video, but taken care of that she was a cat lover and the Instagram submit was meant to be a joke.

The magistrate dismissed her assertions, declaring her purported passion for animals was contradicted by what she experienced finished. He also uncovered it unreasonable for Wong to stay limited-lipped during the law enforcement investigation, when she experienced the chance to apparent her identify by revealing her friend’s role in the offence before her purported emigration.

But he turned down the prosecution’s request to go away the cat in the SPCA’s treatment as the scenario was “not especially significant”.

Animal cruelty is punishable by up to a few decades powering bars.

The defendant is the elder sister of the 2019 Pass up Hong Kong, Carmaney Wong Ka-man.