The man known as the Brighton Cat Killer was sentenced in crown court to more than five years in prison for killing nine cats over a period of months. He is thought to be responsible for more killings. Steve Bouquet, a 54 year old shopping mall security guard, was apprehended after a video camera installed by a victimized cat guardian captured the criminal stroking a cat and then stabbing it with a knife. In Britain, because of the lack of predators and rabies, many household "moggies" are allowed to roam outside their homes.
During his trial, the jury heard accounts of cat guardians who found their injured or dying cats on their doorsteps. A photo of a dead cat was found on Bouquet's mobile phone. A knife with feline blood on it, and his DNA on the handle were found in a search of his residence. Mobile phone location evidence placed him in the vicinity of several stabbings at the time they took place. Bennett claimed this evidence was coincidental. The attacks that took place during 2018-19 sent a wave of fear among cat lovers in Brighton. No explanation was offerred for his repeated attacks. One victim expressed the hope that Bouquet would receive psychiatric help while in prison to prevent a reoccurance of his gruesome crime spree.