Security guard in court over Sussex cat attacks

Suspect Steve Bouquet charged with deaths and injuries of cats in Brighton, after CCTV footage found

A security guard has appeared in court accused of killing and injuring 16 cats in a spate of attacks that left police stumped for months.

Detectives in the UK had struggled to identify the attacker after receiving anguished reports from owners of nine beloved pets who had been killed, and a further seven injured in October 2018 and July 2019.

A court heard that despite the force launching an operation to investigate the deaths in Brighton and Hove, no suspect was identified until a CCTV system set up by an owner of a slain cat appeared to capture on camera a different attack, on a nine month-old kitten.

Rowan Jenkins, prosecuting, 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."