Nine suspects in hunt for Croydon cat killer

‘Reporter or builder’ may have mutilated 400 pets

POLICE hunting for the Croydon cat killer have been handed a list of nine suspects by animal campaigners acting as amateur sleuths.

Members of South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) used police-style profiling to narrow down the number of potential culprits.

At least 400 cats are believed to have been deliberately killed and mutilated in the past three years, along with dozens of foxes and rabbits. Most have been in south London near Croydon, but there have also been reports of suspicious pet deaths across the country.

The map of incidents has led to suggestions that the killer could be someone who travels frequently – such as a builder, or national news reporter.

Boudicca Rising, 47, who runs SNARL with her partner Tony Jenkins, 53, said: ‘The nine people on our list of suspects all live in the London area and police are aware of the names.

‘Over the years we have had 50 people on the list but we have now ruled a lot of them out.’

Miss Rising believes there is a possibility that the attacks are being carried out by two killers.

‘From a psychological point of view, serial killers often work in twos,’ she said. ‘One of the interesting things about duos is they need two personality types. One is dominant and one is submissive – but both will be interested in sadism. They start killing together.’

SNARL has offered a £10,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to a conviction. They have not released any further details about the suspects.

According to their files, the killer has mutilated around 400 cats, 60 foxes and up to 50 rabbits. They have not been caught on CCTV.

Miss Rising dismissed claims the killer could be a fox, saying the methods used to slaughter the pets indicated human involvement.

‘This guy knows his stuff,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t walk down roads where there could be CCTV. The killer often returns to the scene of his attacks, instilling fear in the minds of homeowners.’

In one incident last year, a pet rabbit was beheaded and its body left in the middle of the lawn.

Later, a body part was left on a wall.Mr Jenkins said: ‘The owner did not want to touch [it] so left it for the foxes. The following day, the rabbit’s collar was left on the wall, which is pretty chilling. The killer enjoys spreading terror, which is really worrying.’

Mr Jenkins believes a journalist could responsible for the killings due to the mobile nature of the job.

He said: ‘If you are a national journalist then you’ll be moving all over to cover stories, so it would be quite easy for someone in that role to cover long distances.

‘There are other jobs like contractors and builders who move around, but there is certainly a possibility that a journalist might be able to maintain this level of attacks.’

The attacker was dubbed the Croydon cat killer because it is thought the spree started in south London in October 2015. Hundreds of cat corpses have been found with severed heads, tails and paws.

The killer’s reign of terror shows no signs of ending. A cat’s severed head was found in a neighour’s front garden in Hounslow, west London, last week.

‘Enjoys spreading terror’