Stephen Bouquet

Stephen Rodney Bouquet (5 January 1967 – 5 January 2022), also known as the Brighton Cat Killer, was a British criminal who was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months in prison for killing 9 cats, maiming 7 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 22 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 (CCTV) 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 9-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. 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 9 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 7 cats with knife stab wounds named: Wheatley, Alistair, Rigby, Gideon, Samson, Jasper and Maggie. These 16 incidents occurred in Brighton, East Sussex, between October 2018 and June 2019.

Authorities believe that Bouquet may have been responsible for over 40 cat attacks in Brighton.

The Sussex Police laid 16 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.

+ Charges laid against Stephen Bouquet 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 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. 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 22 years and might suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 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 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 [Bouquet's] behaviour has been put forward, but [then again] no sensible explanation could be advanced".

"This has been a tragic case for all the owners involved. Not only did Steve Bouquet inflict horrendous suffering to each of the animals he attacked, but he also caused real trauma to their owners, many of whom found their beloved pets injured and bleeding. None of us can comprehend what drove Bouquet to do this to family pets. His claims that it was simply chance that he was present at various times when the animals were attacked were rightly dismissed by the jury after being disproved by the investigation and prosecution work."|Senior Crown Prosecutor Jayne Cioffi, for the Crown Prosecution Service

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 (COPD). 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 9-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.