Hong Kong police have arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of animal cruelty in connection with graphic images and videos circulating online that depicted degrading acts, including sexual abuse, against cats, the South China Morning Post has learned.
A source said police arrested the boy on Tuesday, after authorities in mainland China conducted an investigation into the online images.
Mainland police launched the probe after a series of animal abuse videos and photos were posted online in December last year, the source said.
The boy was reportedly part of an online network whose members had sent graphic material to cat-rescue groups on the mainland and had incited others to dox their volunteers, prompting the activists to report the case.
The teenager had travelled last month to the mainland and was apprehended at a border checkpoint when he was returning to Hong Kong on February 28.
“Mainland authorities intended to place him under five days of administrative detention for disturbing public order after their investigation, but did not because he was 14,” the source said.
