Mandatory Treatment Orders Issued in Animal Cruelty and Abuse Cases

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development in each year for the past five years, how many Mandatory Treatment Orders have been issued against offenders in animal cruelty and abuse cases.

Mr Desmond Lee: A Mandatory Treatment Order (MTO) is a sentencing option for offenders who suffer from a treatable psychiatric condition that contributed to their commission of the offence. For appropriate cases of animal cruelty and abuse, the Court may make an MTO.

The number of MTOs issued by the Courts against animal cruelty offenders from 2018 to 2022 is shown in Table 1.