Security Guard From Brighton, UK Was Found Guilty Of Stabbing 16 And Killing Nine Cats Warning: Animal Cruelty

A Brighton security guard has been convicted in a case that shocked cat owners across East Sussex. Steven Bouquet, 54, was found guilty of stabbing 16 cats over a nine-month period, leaving nine dead and seven others injured.

The trial at Chichester Crown Court heard how Bouquet denied the charges, but jurors were shown evidence that linked him to the attacks, including CCTV footage and a knife with cat DNA on the blade. For the pet owners involved, the case brought months of fear, grief, and expensive veterinary bills.

It all came to a grim end once the footage surfaced, and the full scale of the attacks became impossible to ignore. Pexels

Steve Bouquet, 54, has been found guilty of the "savage" stabbing of 16 cats

Sussex Police

Bouquet managed to elude the police for months before they eventually apprehended him. The arrest was made possible by CCTV footage of Bouquet recorded in May 2019.

The footage shows him petting and then stabbing a young kitten named Hendrix, CNN reports. Unfortunately, the poor cat did not survive this attack. The attacker was arrested just two days later, and the police found a knife with cat DNA on the blade.

The footage of the attack:

Sussex Police

"[Hendrix's] owners discovered a trail of blood leading from the passageway to their home and then noticed a CCTV camera nearby. This camera had been set up by a neighbor whose own cat had suffered a similar fate, having been stabbed and killed a year before," Detective Inspector Chris Thompson told reporters.

It also echoes the cat custody fight where one ex claimed they deserved Hendrix’s future, not their breakup partner.

That detail made the whole case even harder to hear.

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"We examined the footage and discovered that it had captured Bouquet stooping to stroke the cat before taking something from his rucksack and making a sudden jerk towards it."

The police added that they found additional evidence on Bouquet's PC, which included videos about dogs attacking cats and web searches about lost cats in the region.

It was the kind of evidence that left little room for doubt.

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Before you judge Steve Bouquet, read how one roommate rehomed a cat after an attack.