UK man jailed for 5 years for string of cat killings

For a
campaign of cat murders for several months in a seaside town, a British man has
been detained on Friday for more than five years.

In southern
England, a judge at the Hove Crown Court sentenced him for killing nine cats and
injuring seven further in the resort town of Brighton, 54 years old former
security guard. The Crown Public Prosecution Service said that Steve Bouquet
was sentenced to five years and three months.

Also read: What is the history behind your pets’ most annoying habits?

Their
owners, some of whom attended the sentencing, told the jury how after the cough attacks they
found their cats bleeding at their doors. 
Judge Jeremy Gold said that Bouquet’s killing spree was “cruel, it
was sustained and it struck at the very heart of family life”.

Also Read| Lawyers abstain from work to protest judge death, advocate killing;police take custody of 2 arrested

Bouquet was
convicted of criminal damage and knife possession. Because Bouquet did not own
the animals, the charge of criminal damage was chosen over animal cruelty.
According to the CPS, it also entails a longer sentence. Bouquet, a former
naval sailor, primarily operated at night, and authorities had a hard time
finding any leads at first.

After the
owner of the first cat installed a camera outside their home, he was
caught on CCTV. Bouquet was shown on video approaching a cat and stabbing it
with a knife from his bag. The cat returned to its home and died, but the
owners followed a trail of blood and discovered the camera, according to The
New York Times.

Also Read| Stray dogs poisoning: HC seeks state stand on junior health inspector’s anticipatory bail plea

Two days
later, the owner of the footage spotted Bouquet in the street and called
police. It remained unclear what caused Bouquet to carry out the attacks,
although police found he had searched on his laptop for videos of dogs
attacking cats.

“None
of us can comprehend what drove Bouquet to do this to family pets,” said
Jayne Cioffi, a senior crown prosecutor.

Also Read| Read about these top 5 Tiger Reserves in India

During a
police interview read aloud at his trial, Bouquet pleaded his innocence, but
investigators discovered a photo of one of the dead kittens on his phone.
According to the CPS, a knife with cat blood on it was discovered at his
residence, and his phone data linked him to the timings and locations of
additional killings. During the trial, the judge stated that the true number of
cats attacked could have been far higher. According to the PDSA veterinary
charity, roughly 24% of adults in the United Kingdom own a cat.