Steven Bouquet (5 January 1967 – 6 January 2022), also known as the Brighton Cat Killer, was a British criminal who was sentenced to five-years and three-months in prison for killing nine cats, maiming seven more, possession of a knife in a public place and failing to answer

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries ...

.Crown Prosecution Service: Brighton cat killer jailed
/ref> These attacks occurred in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

, England from October 2018 to June 2019.

Background

During the time period of the incidents, Bouquet was employed as a security guard at a shopping centre in Brighton. Bouquet was a military

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

, having served for twenty-two years as a

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, stationed in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Hendrix attack

Mr. Levy, the owner of a previously killed cat had setup a

closed-circuit television Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...

(CCTV) outside in the narrow alley connecting Church Street and North Road in Brighton to monitor the area.YouTube: Stephen Bouquet videos
/ref>Argus: Victim of Brighton cat killer Steve Bouquet speaks out
/ref> On 31 May 2019, the CCTV system captured Steven Bouquet bending over to stroke a nine-month old kitten named Hendrix, then removing a knife from his rucksack and stabbing Hendrix, who fled to their owners home. Stewart Montgomery, the owner of Hendrix found him bleeding profusely and took him to a vet, but Hendrix died from the wounds. The

Sussex Police Sussex Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing in the whole of Sussex. Its jurisdiction covers the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. The force is headquartered in Malling House, Lewes, East Sussex. His ...

advised that the CCTV video was the evidence required to identify Bouquet as the Brighton Cat Killer.

Arrest and criminal charges

On 2 June 2019, just two days after the Hendrix incident, Mr. Levy saw Bouquet in the area again on his live CCTV, and contacted the Sussex Police. Bouquet was promptly arrested; he was carrying a

Leatherman Leatherman is an American brand of multitools and knives made by Leatherman Tool Group of Portland, Oregon. The company was founded in July 1983 by Timothy S. Leatherman and Steve Berliner in order to market his idea of a capable, eas ...

multi-tool A multi-tool (or multitool) is a hand tool that combines several individual functions in a single unit. The smallest are credit-card or key sized units designed for carrying in a wallet or on a keyring, but others are designed to be carried i ...

. During police questioning Brighton denied harming any cats, stating that "I'm no threat to animals ..I have no issues with cats, dogs or anything like that". The Sussex Police obtained a

search warrant A search warrant is a court order that a magistrate or judge issues to authorize law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person, location, or vehicle for evidence of a crime and to confiscate any evidence they find. In most countries, ...

for Bouquet's home on Rose Hill Terrace and for his

cellphone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

. The cellphone contained several images of the cats he had attacked, both alive and dead. In addition, the cellphone data placed Bouquet at or near the scene of the cat attacks at almost the same time. A knife was found in the kitchen with a residue of cat's blood on the blade and Bouquet's DNA on the handle. The Sussex Police were able to obtain enough evidence to charge Bouquet with killings of nine cats by stabbing them with a knife; the dead cats were named: Nancy, Ollie, Alan, Tommy, Cosmo, Hendrix, Hannah, Kyo and Gizmo. In addition, Bouquet injured another seven cats with knife stab wounds named: Wheatley, Alistair, Rigby, Gideon, Samson, Jasper and Maggie. These sixteen incidents occurred in Brighton, East Sussex, between October 2018 and June 2019. The authorities believe that Bouquet may have been responsible for over thirty cat attacks in Brighton. The Sussex Police laid sixteen charges of

criminal damage Property damage (or cf. criminal damage in England and Wales) is damage or destruction of Real property, real or tangible Personal property, personal property, caused by negligence, Willful violation, willful destruction, or Act of God, act of na ...

English law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, be ...

deems cats to be property. In addition, one charge of possession of a knife in a public place was laid.

Trial

On 22 June 2021, at the

Chichester Crown Court Chichester Crown Court is a Crown Court venue in Southgate, Chichester, West Sussex, England. The court is administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. History The first incarnation of the building was completed in 1940 and was estimate ...

the criminal trial by

jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartiality, impartial verdict (a Question of fact, finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty o ...

with Judge Jeremy Gold QC presiding was held. Bouquet failed to appear for the court hearing and was

tried in absentia Trial in absentia is a criminal proceeding in a court of law in which the person who is subject to it is not physically present at those proceedings. is Latin for "in (the) absence". Its meaning varies by jurisdiction and legal system. In comm ...

. Jurors at the trial heard numerous shocked owners found their cats bleeding and dying on their doorsteps. The Crown Prosecutor advised the jury of the sixteen cat attacks, as follows: Bouquet was convicted of all sixteen counts of criminal damage and possession of a knife in a public place.

Failing to answer bail

Bouquet failed to answer bail. The Sussex Police eventually located and apprehended Bouquet based on a tip from a member of the public that observed him drinking

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

and displaying odd behaviour at a park in Brighton.

Sentencing

On 12 July 2021, judge Jeremy Gold QC presided over the sentencing hearing at Hove Crown Court. Bouquet's lawyer advised the Court that Bouquet had served in the Royal Navy for twenty-two years and might suffer from

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

. In addition, the Court was advised that Bouquet had been diagnosed with

thyroid cancer Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck. C ...

, which had spread to his liver and lungs. The judge stated that Bouquet's behaviour was "cruel, it was sustained and it struck at the very heart of family life. It is important that everyone understands that cats are domestic pets but they are more than that. They are effectively family members. They are much loved by the adults and children who live with and care for them. Cats and all domestic animals are a source of joy and support to their owners, especially during OVID-19lockdown." He sentenced Bouquet to five years for

, i.e., the cat killings, three months for possession of a knife in a public place to be served concurrently and three months for failing to answer

to be served consecutively: an aggregate prison sentence to be served of five-years and three-months.Where cat killer Steven Bouquet is now - prison death after slaughtering nine pets
/ref>'Brighton cat killer' Steven Bouquet jailed for stabbing 16 pets
/ref> Judge Gold stated that these criminal actions were "appalling"; the impact on the owners and their families was "considerable and grave"; and "no explanation for your ouquetbehaviour has been put forward but no sensible explanation could be advanced".

Death

The Prison Service said that Steven Bouquet died at the

Medway Maritime Hospital Medway Maritime Hospital is a general hospital in Gillingham, England within the NHS South East Coast. It is run by Medway NHS Foundation Trust. It is Kent's largest and busiest hospital, dealing with around 400,000 patients annually. It was fou ...

on 6 January 2022. Bouquets' cause of death was not announced; however, at the sentencing hearing the court was told that Bouquet had been diagnosed with

, which had

metastasized Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

to his

liver The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...

and

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

Documentary

On 8 June 2022, the first broadcast of the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

documentary "''How to Catch a Cat Killer''" was broadcast. A spokesperson for Sussex Police stated that "An ITV documentary highlighting the successful Sussex Police investigation into the death of nine cats in Brighton will be aired this week. The ITV documentary will follow the complex and thorough investigation from the first reports being received in late 2018 through to sentencing in September 2021. It will show the breakthrough moment in May 2019 when CCTV captured Bouquet stabbing nine-month-old Hendrix in a passageway in Brighton, and his subsequent police interviews following arrest." After the ITV documentary was aired, some viewers were left feeling upset and disturbed, believing the documentary should not have been broadcast.'So disturbing' ITV sparks outrage with cat killer documentary 'No need to air this'
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouquet, Steven 1967 births 2022 deaths 2018 in England 2019 in England Animal cruelty incidents Cats Cats in the United Kingdom Crime in Brighton and Hove Criminals from Sussex English male criminals English people who died in prison custody Felid-human interaction History of East Sussex People from Brighton Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales Prisoners who died in England and Wales detention