Croydon Cat Killer struck again – £10,000 reward offered

The ‘Croydon Cat Ripper’ appears to have struck again after a black cat was found dead with the killer’s telltale signs – its head and tail were removed.

A £10,000 reward is now being offered for information that leads to the ‘low life scums’ capture.

Snarl, a local animal rescue and rehabilitation shelter, have seen the mutilation of his victims more than 400 times.

The serial cat killer has also murdered squirrels, foxes and rabbits since 2014 

Bertie, 12, was one of the Croydon Cat Killer’s victims. His headless body was found in Surrey

When Tony Jenkins, founder of Snarl, presented the fatality to a vet he recoiled at the sight, along with its missing head and tail its body had been sliced open. 

Mr Jenkins, when speaking to AFP, said: ‘It was the classic head and tail removal: clean cuts on both, with a bit of additional mutilation to the stomach area,

‘We’ve had cats matching that exact same thing in all sorts of different areas,

‘Lowlife scum.’

The shelter started a hunt for the cat-killer after a series of deaths kept cropping up on social media in the Croydon area.

Mr Jenkins and his co-founder Boudicca Rising began investigating the suspicious demise of these poor creatures.

The shelter started a hunt for the cat-killer after a series of deaths kept cropping up on social media in the Croydon area.

Mr Jenkins and his co-founder Boudicca Rising began investigating the suspicious demise of these poor creatures.

The feline on the left lost her paw to the Croydon cat killer and five-month-old Storm (right) was found headless in Staines

After consulting vets, pet owners and local residents they pieced together a map and timeline of the killings. 

Scotland Yard police headquarters and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Britain’s biggest animal welfare charity both started inquiries after receiving information from Mr Jenkins.

According to Mr Jenkins the cats died from blunt force trauma and the possibility that the killer was another animal was quickly ruled.

It is understood by Snarl that the killer is a white man in his 40s, around 1.8 who lives in Croydon - due to his ease operating around the suburb

It is understood by Snarl that the killer is a white man in his 40s, around 1.8 who lives in Croydon – due to his ease operating around the suburb

Postmortems revealed that mutilation of the felines happened post death and Scotland Yard told AFP that Police believe that an individual or group of individuals are responsible for both. 

Two groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, are each offering a £5,000 ($6,700, 5,700-euro) reward for information leading to the culprit’s capture. 

The case is being closely followed by the National Crime Agency and the ArroGen Veterinary Forensics pathology lab, as well as Mr Jenkins and his team.

Mr Jenkins said: ‘It’s difficult. I wish sometimes it was a bit more like ‘CSI’,’ he said of the television series where crimes are solved every episode using forensic science.

‘Examining the clues, Jenkins wondered whether the killer was a man trading in animal skulls, but it turned out to be a false lead.

Oreo was another one of the cat killer's victims, losing her life in Surrey

Oreo was another one of the cat killer’s victims, losing her life in Surrey

Mimi the cat (above) was sadly found decapitated in the backyard of her owner's house in Surrey

Mimi the cat (above) was sadly found decapitated in the backyard of her owner’s house in Surrey

‘Whilst it was obviously a weird thing to be doing, it wasn’t, strictly speaking, illegal because he imported them from China.’

Snarl’s Facebook page is a catalogue of the sickening deaths that have occurred in the few two years.

CAT KILLER KEY MOMENTS… 

2013: The RSCPA say they are aware of attacks stretching back this far but the killings did not ramp up until two years later

September to December 2015: Croydon Cat Ripper name first used when a number of cat murders were reported in the south London borough of Croydon. At least seven cats were found mutilated in the area

April 2016: More bodies were discovered across North and South London

February 2016: Animals rights charity PETA offered a £5,000 reward to anyone who had information that could lead to the arrest of the killer

August 2016: Five more cats were found chopped up around the M25 area

January 2017: Two more cats had been killed within 2 hours of each other

A memorial post about a cat named Cody reads ‘rest in peace’ alongside a picture of the eight-year-old Bengal.

Jo Platt commented: ‘You’re just an evil piece of lowlife scum who gets some sick gratification being the filth that you are. You will get caught’

The Snarl workers have deciphered that the cat-killer or killers have a set ritual to where the bodies are left and discovered: near schools, parks or despicably under their owner’s windows.

It is understood by Snarl that the killer is a white man in his 40s, around 1.8 who lives in Croydon – due to his ease operating around the suburb. 

Vincent Egan, associate professor in forensic psychology at the University of Nottingham: ‘The killer is a skilled, methodical and forensically aware person with sufficient knowledge of police procedures to avoid detection.

‘The person involved has to be able to entice the animal, capture and kill it without being scratched or bitten… dissect in the skilled way reported, put the body in a place where it can be seen, and do all of this quietly and surreptitiously.

Fears are also starting to rise that this could be the first step for the killer. 

Detective Sergeant Andy Collin, who is leading the police investigation, said: ‘There is a known link between serial killers and harming animals, when you look into their dark history. 

‘The concern is they will cease getting that gratification and escalate the attacks to humans, specifically vulnerable women and girls.’

 



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk