A man was sentenced on Friday to five years and three months in prison by the British courts, for having slaughtered nine cats in the space of a few months in Brighton, sowing terror among the feline owners of this seaside resort in the south of England.

The author was caught in the act thanks to a surveillance camera.

British justice sentenced a man on Friday to five years and three months in prison for having slaughtered nine cats in the space of a few months in Brighton, sowing terror among the feline owners of this southern seaside resort. England.

Steve Bouquet, a 54-year-old security guard, was on trial for the deaths of nine cats and injuries inflicted on seven others in October 2018 and July 2019, as well as illegal possession of a knife.

He had pleaded not guilty.

Caught in the act thanks to a surveillance camera

During the trial at Hove Crown Court, near Brighton, the owners of the killed pets (Hendrix, Tommy, Hannah, Alan, Nancy, Gizmo, Kyo, Ollie and Cosmo) had recounted their horror when they found their bloody cats in the footsteps from their door.

Steve Bouquet had told the police not to pose "any threat to animals" and had assured to have heard about the murders of cats in the local press.

A photo of a dead cat had however been found on his cell phone.

For months, the police failed to solve the mystery of these attacks, carried out especially at night, before the author was caught in the act thanks to a surveillance camera installed by the owner of one of the cats. dead.

After his arrest, the police were able to use the data of his cell phone to trace his movements at the scene of several misdeeds.

When sentencing, Judge Jeremy Gold described his attitude as "cruel" and stressed that he was attacking "the heart of family life".

Nancy's owner had explained to the hearing that he had found his pet under his bed, with bloodstains leading to his doorstep.

Taken to the vet and placed on life support, the cat died of a heart attack.

An "unusual and extremely traumatic" crime

A witness had indicated to have seen Steve Bouquet, acting "oddly", on the scene.

Steve Bouquet's motivations remain mysterious.

"It's a shame that the owners of the cats don't know why he did this," said prosecutor Sally Lakin, interviewed by the PA agency.

"This is such an unusual and extremely traumatic crime."

In 2015, reports by residents of mutilated cats in Croydon, a district of south London, led to the opening of an investigation by Scotland Yard and raised fears of a serial killer of animals targeting mainly the felines of the British capital. But after three years of investigation and the census of 400 victims, the police had concluded that it was in fact the work of foxes, which can be seen regularly as far as central London.