CONVICTED (2021) | Stephen R Bouquet, born 05/01/1967 (deceased), of Rose Hill Terrace, Brighton BN1 4JJ – killed nine cats and maimed seven more during nine-month animal cruelty campaign Brighton Cat Killer Stephen Bouquet, a security guard and former Royal Navy seaman was convicted of killing nine cats after stabbing at least 16 pets during an eight-month rampage. Bouquet stabbed at least 16 pet cats and potentially many more. He killed nine cats and seven more he left for dead survived. Some of his victims are shown in our photo montage. Authorities fear Bouquet could be responsible for other possible cat attacks in the city. Bouquet was tried in his absence after failing to appear at court. Police apprehended him in Brighton on the evening of 28 June 2021 after a tip off from a member of the public who saw him drinking and behaving oddly in a city park. His location was kept secret from the jury who took three hours to find him guilty. The court heard Bouquet had pictures of the cats he attacked on his phone. When they searched his flat, police found a knife stained with feline blood in his kitchen. Phone data placed him at or near the scene when cats were attacked. Bouquet obsessively searched online for coverage of his animal cruelty. He copied reports from Brighton daily paper The Argus and The Guardian onto his phone as news of his crimes spread. Bouquet was convicted of damaging and destroying property. Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Gold QC said the crimes were ‘appalling’ and the impact on the owners and their families was ‘considerable and grave’. ‘No explanation for your behaviour has been put forward but no sensible explanation could be advanced.’ He jailed Bouquet for five years for the cat killings, three months for possession of the knife to be served concurrently and three months for failing to answer bail to be served consecutively – a total sentence of five years and three months. Sentencing: jailed for a total of five years and three months. As he was not prosecuted under animal welfare legislation he was not banned from keeping animals. Daily Mail Update On 18 January 2022 it was reported that Bouquet had died in prison apparently from cancer.