Lee Nien-lung, 34, an marine engineering science PhD at National Taiwan University (NTU), was sentenced to 18 months in jail by Taipei District Court on March 30 for abusing and maiming three cats to death.

The district court also suspects Lee might have been involved in the torture and killing of at least five other cats, which Lee is now under further investigation, according to Taipei Times.

The case marks the first time a prison sentence was given for animal cruelty in Taiwan.

According to Taiwanese media, Lee adopted 10 kittens from different owners in 2008, of which four were found mutilated around NTU. The cats were partially skinned, missing tails and with bone fractures.

Yu Jhong-yi, Lee's lawyer, deemed the punishment too severe at the hearing, saying his client has plans for appeal. "Shall we also be put in jail for killing an ant?" Yu said. He also stated that the decision is emotionally driven and lacks direct evidence linking his client to the crime. The court refused to consider an insanity plea.

A woman surnamed Huang, who had given her cat "Meimei" to Lee for adoption, was satisfied with the sentence Lee will face. "It means that animal protection is being brought to light," Huang said.

The case originated when the bodies of the tortured cats were discovered on the NTU campus and at a night market near National Taiwan Normal University in late 2008. The discovery was reported to police, and the following news reports made their way onto Catbbs, a well-known forum for cat lovers in Taiwan. Conducting their own human-flesh search, Catbbs users began to piece together information: A man whose telephone number started with 0958 had adopted a suspiciously large number of cats from different owners had them delivered to an address near NTU. Lee's name slowly rose to the surface.

When questioned by the police, Lee argued that he set the cats free after he adopted them, but then later changed his statement, saying that some had been injured beforehand.

However, it was the shocking testimony of Lee's ex-girlfriend surnamed Song that provided details as to the nature of the "injuries."

According to Song, on September 16, 2008, while talking with Lee on the phone she heard a cat's cry, and Lee explained that he was "executing a cat." Four days later, Lee told her that one of his cats was hurt by a car on its front legs and head. In order to end its suffering, Lee put the cat in a clothes dryer, and proudly said he was taking the cat on a "roller-coaster ride."

Song also tells of another incident on October 2 at her residence where Lee pressed Meimei's belly until he squeezed out the cats feces and the cat died. He allegedly then put the body into a plastic bag and took it away. Song said that she was so scared that she broke up with Lee days later.

Lee's testimony, however, changed over time. At first Lee pleaded innocent, claiming that he did not kill any cats, but then later admitted to the crime. However, just after several days, he changed his testimony again saying that "the rights of suspects should also be protected", which was denounced by the judge Yang Tai-ching.

Originally prosecutors accused Lee of abusing two cats to death. After "Meimei" was also found to be killed by Lee, an 18 month sentence was ruled.

Lin Ya-che, standing director with Life Conservationist Association, said that Lee's conduct was cruel and morbid. Besides imprisonment, Lee should undergo psychological treatment, or he may continue to abuse animals after release.

Huang Ching-jung, general secretary of Animals Taiwan, a non-profit animal rescue organization, thought the punishment too severe. "The result may destroy his future. If he is repentant, the court should give him a chance to improve himself," he said.

Chuang Hsiu-ming, a lawyer in Taiwan, explained that such animal abuse cases are rare, which makes it difficult to say whether or not the punishment is too severe. "Because in Taiwan, there is no precedent for such cases for comparison."

Cases of animal abuse ending with jail time are also rare on the mainland. In 1988, the government passed the Wild Animal Protection Act. But the law only protects rare and endangered animals and is not applicable to domestic animals such as dogs and cats.