Stephen Bouquet
Stephen Rodney Bouquet, 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. These attacks occurred in Brighton, East Sussex, England from October 2018 to June 2019. On 5 January 2022, Bouquet died of COVID-19, while serving his sentence in HM Prison Elmley.
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, having served for twenty-two years achieving the rank of warrant officer in the Royal Navy and was stationed in Northern Ireland and Iraq.Hendrix attack
Mr. Levy, owner of a previously killed cat, had set-up a closed-circuit television system in Crown Gardens, a narrow alley connecting Church Street and North Road in Brighton, to monitor the area. On 31 May 2019, the CCTV system captured Stephen 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 his owner's home. Stewart Montgomery the owner of Hendrix found him bleeding profusely and transported him to a veterinarian, but Hendrix died from the inflicted knife wounds. The Sussex Police 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 visually witnessed on his live CCTV, Bouquet in the area again and contacted the Sussex Police. Bouquet was promptly arrested carrying a Leatherman multi-tool.During police questioning recorded on video, 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 for Bouquet's personal on Rose Hill Terrace and for his smartphone. The phone contained several images of the cats he had attacked, both alive and deceased. In addition, Sussex Police analyzed Bouquet’s computer data in which they discovered a history of explicit videos showing dogs killing cats. The smartphone data placed Bouquet at or near the scene of the cat attacks at virtually the same time. In Bouquet's kitchen a knife was obtained with the 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 killing the nine cats by stabbing them with a knife; the deceased 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.
Authorities believe that Bouquet may have been responsible for over forty cat attacks in Brighton.
The Sussex Police laid sixteen charges of criminal damage as the legislation under English law deems cats to be property. In addition, one charge of possession of a knife in a public place was laid.
| Date | Location | Cat's name | Owner | Valuation | Charge |
| 12–13 February 2018 | Rugby Road | Jasper | David Perry | £2,140 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, damaged a cat belonging to David Perry. |
| 2 October 2018 | Crown Gardens | Wheatley | Andrea Williams | Unknown | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, damaged a cat belonging to Andrea Williams. |
| 11 October 2018 | Crown Gardens | Hannah | Marianna Penturo | £150 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, destroyed a cat belonging to Marianna Penturo. |
| 14 October 2018 | Trafalgar Terrace | Alistair | Stewart Cruse | £2,421 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, damaged a cat belonging to Stewart Cruse. |
| 31 October 2018 | Stafford Road | Rigby | Penny Vessey | £915 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, damaged a cat belonging to Penny Vessey. |
| 5 November 2018 | Trafalgar Terrace | Gideon | Tina Randall | £1,623 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, damaged a cat belonging to Tina Randall. |
| 18 November 2018 | Ditchling Rise | Samson | Seanin Mouland | £7,500 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, damaged a cat belonging to Seanin Mouland. |
| 4 February 2019 | North Gardens | Alan | Katherine Mattock | £135 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, destroyed a cat belonging to Katherine Mattock. |
| 18 March 2019 | Shaftesbury Road | Nancy | Jeff Carter | £3,214 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, destroyed a cat belonging to Jeff Carter. |
| 27 March 2019 | Ditchling Rise | Gizmo | Emma O’Sullivan | £384 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, destroyed a cat belonging to Emma O’Sullivan. |
| 2 May 2019 | Rugby Road | Kyo | Paul Tofts | Unknown | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, destroyed a cat belonging to Paul Tofts. |
| 5 May 2019 | Rugby Road | Ollie | Sarah McKenzie | £384 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, destroyed a cat belonging to Sarah McKenzie. |
| 31 May 2019 | Crown Gardens | Hendrix | Stewart Montgomery | £1,663 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, destroyed a cat belonging to Stewart Montgomery. |
| 1 June 2019 | Port Hall Place | Cosmo | Lucy Kenward | £5,056 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, destroyed a cat belonging to Lucy Kenward. |
| 1 June 2019 | Coventry Street | Maggie | Claire Smith | £4,862 | Criminal damage to property; without lawful excuse, damaged a cat belonging to Claire Smith. |
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 and displaying odd behaviour at a park in Brighton.Trial
On 22 June 2021, at the Chichester Crown Court the criminal trial by jury with Judge Jeremy Gold QC presiding was held. Bouquet failed to appear for the court hearing and was tried in absentia. Jurors at the trial heard numerous shocked owners found their cats bleeding and dying on their doorsteps.Bouquet was convicted of all sixteen counts of criminal damage and possession of a knife in a public place.
Sentencing
On 12 July 2021, judge Jeremy Gold, Queens Counsel, 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. In addition, the Court was advised that Bouquet had been medically diagnosed with thyroid cancer, which had spread to his liver and lungs.
Judge Gold 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 lockdown."
Judge Gold sentenced Bouquet to five years for criminal damage, 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 bail, to be served with an aggregate prison sentence to be served of five-years and three-months. Judge Gold stated that Bouquet's criminal actions were "appalling", that the impact on the owners and their families was "considerable and grave", and that "no explanation for behaviour has been put forward, but no sensible explanation could be advanced".
Death
While Bouquet was serving his sentence at the HM Prison Elmley he was receiving end-of-life care for thyroid cancer, when he experienced symptoms of coughing and breathing difficulties. Bouquet was transferred from prison and admitted to the Medway Maritime Hospital where he tested positive for COVID-19 on 28 December 2021. Despite receiving medical care, including antibiotics and oxygen, his condition worsened.At an inquest in Maidstone, Kent, Coroner Patricia Harding stated that Bouquet died on 5 January 2022, of natural causes from COVID-19 pneumonitis and a secondary cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The coroner advised that Bouquet had been extremely frail, experienced poor mobility and was vulnerable to infection. The coroner concluded that the officials at HM Prison Elmley followed national guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus. The coroner expressed condolences to Bouquet’s brother and apologised for the length of time it took to reach a conclusion due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Documentary
On 8 June 2022, the first broadcast of the ITV 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 felt upset and disturbed, believing the documentary should not have been broadcast.