SINGAPORE: A 23-year-old man was sentenced to three months’ jail on Thursday (Feb 8) for ill-treating his now ex-girlfriend’s family pet, and eventually killing the dog by flinging it against the wall.

Gerald Kok Zhin Oi is also banned from owning an animal for one year from the date he is released from jail.



Kok was convicted of four of seven charges of abusing Treasure the toy poodle on multiple occasions between July and December 2016.

He admitted to hitting the three-year-old dog with a sofa cushion and plastic clothes hanger, and repeatedly flinging Treasure against the wall.

“It all started in July when Treasure bit (Kok) for no reason,” Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) prosecutor Yap Teck Chuan said.

The dog belonged to Kok’s girlfriend’s brother, who installed a CCTV camera in his bedroom to keep on an eye on Treasure. He suspected Kok had hit Treasure, and told his mother not to leave Kok alone with the dog.



Kok admitted he ill-treated the dog on a few occasions over the following months, culminating in the fatal incident on Christmas Day in 2016.

The family left the house at about 5.20pm on Dec 25, leaving Kok alone with Treasure. At the void deck, Kok’s girlfriend’s mother recalled her son telling her not to leave Kok alone with the dog.

Kok’s girlfriend returned to the flat immediately, and caught Kok standing near her bedroom with bloodied tissue. She saw Treasure lying bloodied and motionless on the floor. She took the dog to the vet, where Treasure was pronounced dead.

An X-ray showed it had suffered neck and skull fractures due to blunt force trauma to the head.

Kok had lied that he was carrying Treasure to the bedroom when he slipped and fell, the prosecutor said. However, the CCTV camera had captured Kok hitting the dog and flinging it across the bed.

DOG SUFFERED PROLONGED ABUSE: PROSECUTOR

The prosecutor sought three-and-a-half months’ jail, saying Treasure had suffered prolonged abuse and must have been traumatised.

Defence lawyer Josephus Tan said 10 weeks’ jail would be appropriate, and objected to the prosecutor’s remark: “He is not a dog whisperer,” the lawyer said, and should not be allowed to say Treasure felt traumatised.

In sentencing Kok to three months’ jail and banning him from becoming a pet owner for one year, District Judge May Mesenas urged Kok to seek help.

“There are consequences when you give vent to your anger. Only you know what triggered it, but you need to get some help so it doesn’t happen again,” she told Kok, encouraging him to reflect on his actions while behind bars.

For ill-treating Treasure, Kok could have been jailed for up to 18 months and fined up to S$15,000 on each charge.