A Criminologist fears a cat killer suspected of a series of macabre attacks on pets could go on to murder people.

Brighton University crime expert Dr Peter Squires said when someone killed animals for fun there was a good chance they would go on to develop violent and possibly murderous tendencies towards humans.

His warning came after a series of brutal pet mutilations in Sussex.

In the latest attacks last week, two cats were stolen, driven away, dissected and taken back to their owners' homes in Wick, Littlehampton.

There have been at least 30 similar attacks during the past year, most during the summer months.

Dr Squires said: "From the extent of the surgical procedures used it seems to be somebody really quite disturbed.

"Anybody who makes these elaborate plans and brings them to fruition could be killing animals as a stepping stone to something else.

"The person probably needs help. There should be some sort of intervention to stop it escalating."

He said it was worrying the culprit had worked out a plan for killing each cat and kept taking the animals' bodies back to their owners' homes despite the risk of being caught.

The killer has been using more elaborate methods but most of the attacks follow the same pattern, with the animals being dumped back at their owners' homes.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "There is a school of thought that people who mutilate animals might possibly go on to injure humans. At this stage these incidents are rightly being investigated by the RSPCA."

The police were not called to the latest attack in Littlehampton on Friday, which is being investigated by RSPCA officers.

Animal rights campaigner David Hammond, of Hassocks, set up a pressure group called Linking Animal and Human Abuse to call for police action.

He said: "There is substantial evidence collected in America, Germany and Switzerland during the last 25 years which shows nine out of ten serial killers start off killing animals.

"If they are doing it to animals now, they are going to move on and the next step is to abuse or kill humans."

Mr Hammond said in America similar attacks were taken much more seriously by the police.

Tracey Welch, of Shearwater Drive, Bognor, is still getting over the attack on her ten year old son's cat JJ, who was beaten around the head with a blunt instrument in May.

She said: "It is awful and my son Edward is in pieces over it. He just doesn't understand how anybody could do this and neither do I."