The defendant Wu Siyuan was earlier convicted of selling restricted food and using or permitting the use of the cat's flesh for food.

In Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts yesterday, deputy magistrate Charles Kwok Hong-lun rejected the defense saying Wu was only “assisting” in his father’s business and didn’t play a leading role, as Kwok referred to a report that said Wu worked from 7.30 am to 10.30 pm almost every day.

Kwok pointed out that there were seven fridges in Wu’s shop containing 1.25 kg of cat flesh, 10 kg of mutton, 50 kg of chicken, 5 kg of pork, and 30 kg of other frozen poultry.

Nonetheless, Wu could only submit one invoice for the frozen chicken, raising Kwok’s suspicion on the origin of other frozen meat kept in the shop.

Kwok also noted that the 1.25 kg of cat flesh in the shop most definitely had more than one cat killed. The judge also believed the cat flesh was imported illegally for commercial purposes.

Although there were few similar cases in Hong Kong, Kwok stressed that the sentencing must carry a deterrent effect. He then started the jail term at 18 weeks and reduced it to 10 weeks for the two charges.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department welcomed the court’s ruling, saying imprisonment has a significant deterrent effect and reflects the gravity of the offense.

“It is an offense to eat, sell or possess dog or cat flesh for food. The AFCD will certainly take stringent enforcement action should such incidents be discovered,” a spokesman said.

According to the Dogs and Cats Regulations, any person eating, selling, or possessing dog or cat flesh for food could face a maximum fine of HK$5,000 and six months imprisonment upon conviction.