Brighton Cat Killer found guilty of stabbing pets to death

Steve Bouquet, 54, from Rose Hill Terrace, was on trial accused of killing nine cats and injuring seven more in a string of attacks in the city that left police stumped.

Jurors retired at 12.25pm this afternoon and returned their verdict about three hours later.

Detectives received more and more reports of beloved pets being seriously injured or killed in suspicious circumstances in 2018 and 2019 but nobody was caught in the act.

Caught on camera 

Police were baffled and The Brighton Cat Killer was an invisible man until he was revealed by a single error, the court heard.

A breakthrough in the gruesome mystery came when a CCTV system set up by an owner of a slain cat appeared to capture a fresh attack on camera. 

Rowan Jenkins for the prosecution said: “Great care was taken by Mr Bouquet to be and remain the invisible man.

“There were no clues left at all and nobody witnessed the attacks, which often happened after the hours of darkness,” Mr Jenkins said.

“But on May 31, 2019, he made a mistake.

“He made a single mistake but that was all that was needed to expose him.”

On May 31, 2019, Stewart Montgomery and his partner Agatha were at home when their nine-month-old black kitten Hendrix came in bleeding heavily.

They rushed him to the vet but the injury – a single knife wound driven right through from side to side – was too severe and he did not survive.

When he got home, Mr Montgomery noticed a trail of blood and saw a CCTV camera nearby.

The camera had in fact been set up by a neighbour whose cat had been stabbed and killed the year before

A major investigation

The shopping mall security guard did not appear at Chichester Crown Court and the trial went ahead in his absence.

Prosecutor Rowan Jenkins told jurors: “In 2018 Sussex Police commenced what became a major investigation following reports of domestic cats being targeted and deliberately stabbed in Brighton.

“Sometimes owners … found that their cats were still alive and were able to take timely action to try and save them by rushing them to their vets.”

However, nine cats received injuries so serious that they could not be saved.

Lewes Crown Court in Chichester heard Bouquet had pictures of the cats he attacked on his phone.

When they searched his flat, police found a knife stained with feline blood in his kitchen.
Phone data placed him at or near the scene when cats were attacked.

Bouquet obsessively searched online for coverage of his animal cruelty.

He copied reports from The Argus and The Guardian onto his phone as news of his crimes spread.

Bouquet was convicted of damaging and destroying property and could be jailed.

Cat Killer caught drinking in a park 

Bouquet was on the run after failing to turn up to court. 

Police apprehended him in Brighton on Monday night after a tip off from a member of the public who saw him drinking and behaving oddly in a city park.

His location was kept secret from the jury who took three hours to find him guilty.

READ MORE ABOUT THE CAT KILLER BEING CAUGHT HERE>> 

What has he been found guilty of?

The Former Royal Navy able seaman killed nine cats and injuring seven more in Brighton between October 2018 and June 2019.

Nine pets died following vicious attacks with a knife or knives, the court heard.

Hannah, Tommy, Alan, Nancy, Gizmo, Kyo, Ollie, Hendrix and Cosmo were all killed

Another seven animals, Wheatley, Alistair, Rigby, Gideon, Samson, Jasper and Maggie survived.

'There will be consequences'

His Honour Judge Jeremy Gold QC described the attacks as very unpleasant and said they had a significant impact on the owners who relied on their cats for companionship and comfort.

"I take a very serious view of this case.

"There will be consequences," the judge said.

Sentencing is expected on July 12.

READ MORE ABOUT THE JUDGES HERE >>

Green MP Caroline Lucas, who originally pushed for an investigation into the cat deaths, said: "This has been a very long, hard road for the many owners who lost their pets or whose cats were badly injured.  

"I know it caused real fear and anguish to many pet owners and prompted outrage at the cruelty involved.  

"I'm very glad the long wait for justice has come to an end and I hope it brings them some comfort to know that the person responsible has been convicted."

How detectives cracked the cat killer case 

DI Chris Thompson said: “In late 2018 we became aware of a number of reports where cat owners believed their cats had been deliberately killed or injured.

“We needed to determine whether there was human involvement in these cases and submitted two cats for post mortem examinations by a specialist vet at the Royal Veterinary College.

"It was found that one of the cats had been stabbed by a sharp implement deliberately, but the other had too much surgical intervention to make a definite conclusion.

“The attacks had occurred in a fairly confined area of the city with two distinct clusters to the east and west of Preston Road, just south of Preston Park and a line from the area of Brighton railway station to close to the seafront.

“However, there were no witnesses to the savage acts and there was no indication as to who was responsible.”

READ MORE ABOUT HOW POLICE CRACKED THE CASE HERE >>