A National Taiwan University (NTU) graduate student was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Taipei District Court yesterday for torturing cats and leaving them to die around the university campus.
This ruling was the first time in Taiwan a person has been found guilty of torturing animals.
The district court found Lee Nien-lung (李念龍), a marine engineering student, guilty of torturing three cats in 2008 in violation of the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法).
“As a highly educated person Lee should not have tortured cats for his own satisfaction. He did not cooperate during the legal procedures and did not show remorse for what he had done, so the court will not grant him probation,” the ruling said.
The district court said Lee might have tortured and killed at least five other cats, which the court reported to the prosecutors for further investigation.
The ruling said that on Oct. 8 2008, Lee obtained a cat named “National Day” after contacting its owner through the Internet. He brought the cat to the school and tortured it, causing hemorrhaging and hydrocephalus (water on the brain) before leaving it near the university library. The cat was found by a passerby, who took it to a veterinarian. The cat could not be saved and was put to sleep.
In November 2008, Lee called the owner of a cat named “Copal,” saying he wanted to adopt it, the ruling said. He tortured Copal, breaking several bones and causing internal bleeding before leaving it to die near his dormitory. The cat was found by another passerby and could not be revived.
Another cat was skinned and died in November 2008, the ruling said.
About 10 cats were found on or around the university campus, all showing signs of having been tortured.
As more were found, Internet users collected information from cat owners, eventually leading them to suspect Lee.
When questioned, Lee denied torturing the cats, saying that he had adopted dozens of cats but had set them all free.
Lee will be able to appeal the yesterday’s verdict to the Taiwan High Court.
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