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Saturday, Jul 27, 2024
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Jealous lover jailed for dog abuse
A 30-year-old former Labor Department officer was jailed for three weeks by an Eastern magistrate yesterday for abusing his ex-girlfriend's two dogs out of jealousy last year.
Labor inspector Law Ka-kin appeared before Edward Wong Ching-yu after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty last month.
The court heard that Law brutally abused the dogs for receiving better treatment than he did from his ex-girlfriend, and was charged with animal cruelty for hitting a golden retriever and a mongrel with a stool, kicking them and stomping on their heads between July 21 and August 8 in an apartment on Ap Lei Chau Main Street.
In mitigation, Law's lawyer requested the court hand down a non-custodial sentence, suggesting a community service order, citing his lack of a criminal record and the fact that the dogs did not suffer serious harm.
But in sentencing, Wong said a prison sentence was the only option as Law committed the crime over an extended period, violated the trust between himself and his then-girlfriend, and even used a weapon to attack the dogs.
Wong said that the beatings happened over many days, even though they were relatively short, adding that the defendant had used stools and ropes as weapons.
He also said the defendant was entrusted with the dogs by his girlfriend, and had violated that agreement, leaving Wong to conclude that a community service would not adequately reflect the severity of Law's crime.
Wong then sentenced him to three weeks in prison.
The cout heard that Law started dating his ex-girlfriend - who owned the dogs - in May last year, and would occasionally spend the night at her Ap Lei Chau apartment. He was also given a set of keys to the unit.
On August 8, the dog owner noticed that her golden retriever Mui Mui had started barking at the defendant. She reviewed the surveillance footage in the apartment and found that Law had been kicking the mongrel Doo Doo in the head that day.
Investigating further, she found that Law had been beating her dogs since July 21, hitting Mui Mui with a stool three times and choking her with a rope, and kicking and stomping on Doo Doo's head and body.
Afterwards, Law admitted he was jealous because she was treating the dogs better than him.
The court heard that Law brutally abused the dogs for receiving better treatment than he did from his ex-girlfriend, and was charged with animal cruelty for hitting a golden retriever and a mongrel with a stool, kicking them and stomping on their heads between July 21 and August 8 in an apartment on Ap Lei Chau Main Street.
In mitigation, Law's lawyer requested the court hand down a non-custodial sentence, suggesting a community service order, citing his lack of a criminal record and the fact that the dogs did not suffer serious harm.
But in sentencing, Wong said a prison sentence was the only option as Law committed the crime over an extended period, violated the trust between himself and his then-girlfriend, and even used a weapon to attack the dogs.
Wong said that the beatings happened over many days, even though they were relatively short, adding that the defendant had used stools and ropes as weapons.
He also said the defendant was entrusted with the dogs by his girlfriend, and had violated that agreement, leaving Wong to conclude that a community service would not adequately reflect the severity of Law's crime.
Wong then sentenced him to three weeks in prison.
The cout heard that Law started dating his ex-girlfriend - who owned the dogs - in May last year, and would occasionally spend the night at her Ap Lei Chau apartment. He was also given a set of keys to the unit.
On August 8, the dog owner noticed that her golden retriever Mui Mui had started barking at the defendant. She reviewed the surveillance footage in the apartment and found that Law had been kicking the mongrel Doo Doo in the head that day.
Investigating further, she found that Law had been beating her dogs since July 21, hitting Mui Mui with a stool three times and choking her with a rope, and kicking and stomping on Doo Doo's head and body.
Afterwards, Law admitted he was jealous because she was treating the dogs better than him.
