Jail for maid seen abusing dog to death on balcony

SINGAPORE — A maid who beat a dog belonging to her employer's boyfriend, with the dog later dying, was sentenced on Nov 26 to nine months' jail.

Junny Lal Awm Pui, 26, a Myanmar national, pleaded guilty to three charges under the Animals and Birds Act — two over cruelly beating an animal, and one over unreasonably doing an act causing it unnecessary pain and suffering.

Another charge under the same Act was taken into consideration during her sentencing.

In sentencing Junny Lal Awm Pui, District Judge Ow Yong Tuck Leong said that while it was not disputed that the maid was acting on the instructions of her employer to discipline the dog by hitting it, she could have controlled her strength in doing so.

A report prepared by two vets indicated that the dog, a poodle named Boyboy estimated to be 15 years old, experienced severe pain and suffering.

They added that it was very likely the blows to the head would have caused the dog to suffer painful head trauma and subsequent incapacitation, given the way it was handled and abused by Junny Lal Awm Pui.

One of them said that in the absence of any other likely contributing factors, the repeated traumatic beatings would have very likely caused its death.

The Straits Times has contacted the National Parks Board (NParks) to ask if any action is being taken against the maid's employer, a 37-year-old woman whom court documents refer to as Heng.

NParks prosecuting officers Lee Zu Zhao and Farisha Asharaff said Boyboy had been picked up from the street by its owner, whom court documents refer to as Lai, and his previous girlfriend in Rochor Road in January 2015.

Unable to find the original owner, they adopted the dog, but broke up in 2018.

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After Lai started a relationship with Heng, the two kept Boyboy in her home from July 5, 2023.

Heng instructed Junny Lal Awm Pui to confine the dog to the balcony and feed it separately from her two other dogs.

On Jan 22, 2024, after filling Boyboy's food bowl at about 10am, Junny Lal Awm Pui saw that it had started eating its food before being allowed to do so.

As Heng had instructed the maid to hit the dog if it did this, she grabbed it by the neck, pinned it to the ground and hit it four times on the head with her hands.

She also used a rod, which Heng had devised by rolling up pet food packaging, to hit the dog forcefully on the head.

Boyboy struggled and tried to escape but was unable to do so.

According to the prosecution, Heng had previously instructed her maid to hang the dog on the balcony railing in order to expose it to the sun, "ostensibly to reduce (the dog's) odour", and at about 11am, the maid did so, hanging the animal on the railing by its harness.

Lai had installed a motion-sensor recording device at the balcony, and from the video recording, the dog did not struggle, but appeared limp while being hung.

At about 11.45am, Junny Lal Awm Pui used the rod to hit the dog's head with a significant amount of force twice as it was lying down.

The vets said this would have very likely caused it to suffer a head concussion due to its size in proportion to the force of impact.

At about 1.30pm, after Heng instructed her to check on Boyboy, Junny Lal Awm Pui found that it was biting its tongue and bleeding from its mouth.

After she informed Heng, the two went to check on the dog and found that it had died.

The prosecution said the dog had no visible signs of respiration, and that it had died as a result of the repeated beatings.

Heng arranged for the dog's body to be collected for cremation and told Lai about its death later that day.

Upon viewing the dog's body the next day, Lai observed that its limbs were straightened and became suspicious, noting that it had been very active the day before its death.

He reviewed the video footage and shared it with his former girlfriend, who reported the matter to NParks on Jan 25.

In court, Junny Lal Awm Pui lowered her head as multiple videos of the abuse were played.

She sobbed as she told the court that she was sorry for her cruel and brutal treatment of Boyboy that led to its death, referring to the dog by name.

She said she has not been able to contact her parents since her arrest, adding that the place where her family lives in Myanmar is in a war zone, and she was worried about her parents.

In a media statement, Jessica Kwok, group director of enforcement and investigation at NParks, said the board takes all cases related to animal cruelty and abuse seriously and investigates all feedback received.

"We will take action against anyone who has committed an act of animal cruelty," she added.

She said members of the public can play a part by promptly reporting suspected cases of animal cruelty or providing potential evidence via its website or by calling its Animal Response Centre on 1800-476-1600.

"As with all investigations, all forms of evidence are crucial to the process, and photographic and/or videographic evidence provided by the public will help," she added.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.