The authorities are investigating a case of alleged animal abuse involving three rabbits after one of them suffered severe injuries and died on Monday (Nov 21) .

The incident is said to have happened after a young student who was living with her uncle brought home three rabbits without her uncle’s consent, according to a Facebook post by Singapore rabbit rescue group Bunny Wonderland.

The rabbits would often “jailbreak” and on a few occasions, entered the uncle’s room. The post claims that the uncle would lock the rabbits in a toilet with no food and water.

The student found the rabbits hurt on one occasion and when she confronted her uncle, he allegedly admitted hitting the animals with a wooden rod.

Although all three rabbits were rescued by Bunny Wonderland after the student left them in the group’s care, one of them, named Apollo, was found to be in an “appalling condition”.

The post read: “(Three) of his legs were broken and he could not move his lower half at all. We took over his care and brought him to The Animal Doctors. His lower spine was fractured and almost all his ribs were broken. The old injuries may have healed but the long term abuse had put a strain on Apollo.

“He lost all senses to his limbs, he cannot defecate on his own, and no medication in his world could heal him.”

Apollo’s condition took a turn for the worse on Nov 21. After being hospitalised that morning, Apollo died three hours later when it showed signs of neurological disorder.

The Facebook post added that the House Rabbit Society of Singapore (HRSS), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) have been asked to look into the case.

When contacted by AsiaOne, SPCA and AVA confirmed that they were investigating. HRSS could not be reached for comment.

SPCA’s executive director Dr Jaipal Singh Gill said: “SPCA’s consultant veterinarian examined the rabbit and we sent the animal to a private clinic for X-rays. The rabbit was found to have sustained physical injuries.

“We referred the case to the AVA and provided them with the evidence we had gathered for their follow up and enforcement action.”

In Singapore, animal cruelty is an offence. First-time offenders can be jailed for up to 18 months and fined up to $15,000 or both, under the recently amended  Animals and Birds Act.

stephluo@sph.com.sg

Many Singaporean parents are focused on their children’s endless pursuit of degrees.

But Mr David Heng, 42, has a different set of expectations for 12-year-old Nicholas.

Rather than getting into a good school, Mr Heng just hopes for his son to be independent, tenacious and self-sufficient.

Nicholas has cerebral palsy, mild autism and slightly lower cognitive function than his peers.

Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects his motor skills, and he has to move around in a wheelchair. Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder inclusive of a spectrum of skills, symptoms and levels of disability.

Said Mr Heng, an education and career guidance counsellor: “Grades wise, it’s nice to have, but in the long run, being independent and finding purpose in life… that’s what we hope he can really achieve.”

Yesterday morning, before collecting his Primary School Leaving Examination results, the Xishan Primary pupil said: “I am 50 per cent nervous, but I think I can get into a Normal (Academic) stream.”

And he did.

While heartened, Mr Heng told The New Paper: “I won’t compare him with the other kids. But I want him to always try his best, and put in all his effort to do his part.”

It is a goal Mr Heng and his wife, Madam Yee Lai Peng, set for their son shortly after he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 18 months.

Mr Heng said: “Sometimes I don’t dare to think about it. Both of us will grow old.

“He has a (younger) brother but it’s very unfair on him too. Of course we hope he will eventually be independent, feed himself and take care of his daily routine.”

To better care for Nicholas, Madam Yee, 39, quit her accounting job after he was born.

She said in Mandarin: “When he was born premature, I knew his health would suffer.

I wanted to be there every step of the way with him until he can be independent.”

Her relationship with Nicholas was initially fraught with misunderstandings.

“When we wanted him to wear his own clothes even though he found it difficult, he got angry.

We insisted because we wanted him to learn to be independent, but he didn’t understand,” she said quietly.

Things only improved slightly when Nicholas grew older and began to understand his parents’ intentions.

Said Madam Yee: “As parents, we came to realise that we also have to explain why we are making him do certain things.

Through helping him learn, we learnt to be patient ourselves as well.” In school, teachers and Nicholas’ peers chipped in.

Xishan Primary’s allied educator Wilson Ting, for instance, spent time tailoring the Physical Education curriculum to make sure Nicholas could move his muscles as much as possible.

“I’ve seen many improvements in him over the years. He used to fall when using crutches and, sometimes, the walker… In Primary 6, not once did he fall while walking,” Mr Ting said.

MOVING UP

Now, even climbing up the stairs while holding the railing for support is no problem for Nicholas, said the allied educator in learning and behavioural science.

“He can basically do it himself. It’s just that someone needs to help him carry his crutches when he’s climbing the stairs,” Mr Ting said.

Only when the school day ends does Nicholas use his wheelchair for his daily commute home.

The progress Nicholas has made is clear, but there is still some way to go, Mr Heng said.

He added that it now takes a lot more persuasion and convincing in negotiating for Nicholas to complete his daily tasks.

Nicholas said he hopes to be a reporter when he grows up because he likes to talk – an area Mr Heng is hoping to help his son develop in.

“Maybe he can do something in journalism, or even be an inspirational speaker… Swimming is also something he likes so we try as much as possible to let him participate in that. Maybe another Paralympian?” he said with a smile.

This article was first published on November 25, 2016.
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Are the two-finger and four-finger shapes of Kit Kat chocolate bars entitled to trademark protection here and can it be used to effectively stop others from marketing goods of a similar shape here?

The answer is no.

The Court of Appeal, in a written judgment yesterday, affirmed an earlier decision by the High Court which had thrown out Nestle’s suit against Petra Foods over an alleged trademark infringement.

Kit Kat chocolate wafers are made by Swiss food and beverage giant Nestle.

Nestle had registered the two-finger and four-finger shapes of its Kit Kat bars as trademarks in Singapore.

It sued Petra, which makes similarly shaped chocolate wafers marketed under the brand Take-It, for trademark infringement.

Petra, represented by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh and Mr Dedar Singh Gill, counter-sued to invalidate Nestle’s registered shapes, arguing that they cannot be considered trademarks under the law.

In 2014, the High Court dismissed Nestle’s claim and allowed Petra’s counterclaim.

Nestle appealed.

Yesterday, a five-judge appeals court, in an 85-page judgment delivered by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, unanimously dismissed the appeal.

The court ruled that Nestle’s shapes lacked inherent distinctiveness and had not acquired distinctiveness through use.

Distinctiveness is a concept in trademark law which denotes that a particular mark acts as a badge to the consumer to indicate the origin of the goods.

While the average consumer recognised the shapes and associated them with Kit Kat, the court said Nestle had failed to show that the average consumer treated the shapes as a guarantee of origin.

The court ruled that the shape of Kit Kat bars cannot be granted trademark protection as the shape is necessary to obtain a technical result.

Petra’s lawyers had argued that the slab shape was necessary for efficient mass production.

In any case, even if the shapes had been validly registered, they would have been revoked because while they had been commercially exploited, they had not been used as trademarks.

This article was first published on Nov 25, 2016.
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For some people, time heals. Not so, for Madam Daliah Aim, 66.

Though more than 35 years have passed since her eldest child was murdered, the mother of three still cannot talk about him without crying.

In fact, she was so devastated that this is her first interview since the murder in 1981.

She broke down several times during her interview with The New Paper, still deep in grief.

On Feb 6, that year, her first-born, Ghazali Marzuki, 10, was brutally killed by one of Singapore’s most notorious murderers, Adrian Lim, 39, abetted by his wife Catherine Tan Mui Choo, 26, and his mistress Hoe Kah Hong, 25.

Ghazali was their second victim. He was drugged, choked, then drowned. There were also burn marks on his back and a puncture on his arm.

Just days before his murder, Lim, Tan and Hoe also tortured and killed Agnes Ng Siew Hock, nine.

The trio were executed exactly 28 years ago today.

Speaking to TNP in her Bukit Panjang flat last month, Madam Daliah said she was so consumed by grief she suffered fainting spells.

She got better only about two years ago.

Dabbing tears from her eyes, the cleaner told TNP: “In the past, whenever I thought about him, my mind would suddenly go blank and I would feel everything turning darker.

“I’ve lost count of how many times I blacked out. I fainted at my workplace and on the bus. Luckily, there were always kind people around to help me.”

The widow said there were times when family members have tried to help her by advising her to let go of the past.

She told TNP: “I told them they would never understand what I’m going through.

‘BRUTALLY MURDERED’

“They’ve never had a son who died in such a terrible way. My poor Ghazali had been brutally murdered.”

Madam Daliah has two surviving children. Ghazali’s sister is now 41 while his brother is 39.

Both are married with their own families.

Madam Daliah will never forget the day Ghazali went missing after visiting his grandmother in Clementi during the Chinese New Year holidays in 1981.

Read also: Guilty As Charged: 20 crimes that have shaken Singapore since 1965

He had gone downstairs on Feb 6 to play with his two cousins.

But Ghazali was nowhere to be found when the two older boys came home later.

When asked where he was, they refused to answer.

The truth only emerged after their parents slapped them – demanding answers.

It turned out Ghazali had followed a woman – later revealed to be Hoe – who had asked him to help her with some errands.

The family searched frantically around the neighbourhood without success.

Madam Daliah told TNP: “I always warned him not to follow strangers, and he’s usually such an obedient boy. I don’t know why he did that.

“I even went to several mosques asking for divine help.

“After prayers were done, one man told me to prepare for the worst. I was devastated.”

The next day, police officers came to her home to say Ghazali’s body had been found in Toa Payoh.

She told TNP: “I totally lost it. I was so consumed by grief that I had to be sedated.”

She recalled falling in and out of consciousness several times over the next few days.

Her husband did not allow her to go to Ghazali’s funeral and from then on, tried to shield her from details of the gruesome way in which he was killed.

One of her four grandchildren, student Iskandar Rossali, 19, told TNP that he found out about his family’s link with the Adrian Lim case only when he was nine.

He said: “I was watching TV at home with my mother when a segment about the murders came on.

“She turned to me and said, ‘Do you know Ghazali was my brother? He was your uncle.’

“I couldn’t believe it and read up about the case.”

He said he was furious when he found out how his uncle had died.

He told TNP: “He was killed in an inhumane manner. Now, I try to cheer Nenek (grandmother in Malay) up whenever she gets sad. My uncle didn’t deserve to die that way.

Read also: Guilty As Charged: Adrian Lim and his 2 ‘holy’ wives kidnapped, tortured and killed 2 children

“Adrian Lim and the two women were monsters.”

Madam Daliah still finds it hard to forgive the trio and visits Ghazali’s grave at Lim Chu Kang Cemetery several times a month.

She said: “He was such a good boy. Many years have passed and I still miss him. I can still hear his voice whenever I’m alone.

“But I know he’s in a better place now.”

He sexually assaulted, killed nine-year-old girl

Adrian Lim’s mistress, Hoe Kah Hong, lured Agnes Ng Siew Hock, nine, from the Church of the Risen Christ in Toa Payoh on Jan 24, 1981 and took her to Lim’s flat at nearby Block 12 at Lorong 7 Toa Payoh.

Agnes had just attended her weekly religious class at the church.

While in the flat, the little girl was injected with a sedative and sexually assaulted by Lim.

She was later suffocated and her body was found stuffed inside a travel bag by the lift landing at the same block.

She was the first murder victim of Lim, Hoe and his wife, Catherine Tan Mui Choo.

Fourteen days later, 10-year-old Ghazali Marzuki’s body was found between Block 10 and 11 at Lorong 7 Toa Payoh.

He was drugged, choked then drowned. There were burn marks on his back and a puncture on his arm. Blood was also found around his nostrils.

The police searched the area and spotted a trail of blood which led them to the trio’s flat on the seventh storey.

NAME

The authorities arrested them after finding Agnes’ name on a slip of paper.

They also found Ghazali’s particulars on a note pad.

After a 41-day trial, Lim, Tan and Hoe were sentenced to hang on May 23, 1983.

Lim accepted the verdict but Tan and Hoe appealed, claiming mental illness. Both appeals were dismissed.

They were all executed on Nov 25, 1988.

This article was first published on Nov 25, 2016.
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