Young girl is heartbroken as her beloved pet falls victim to serial cat killer
A MOTHER spoke yesterday of her family’s heartache as their beloved pet became the latest victim of a prolific, sadistic cat killer.
Samantha Brown, the great, great granddaughter of Marks & Spencer co-founder Michael Marks, said her Savannah cat Harley, five, was found mutilated just yards from her home.
Mother-of-two Mrs Brown, 44, said Harley was especially loved by her 11-year-old daughter Tabitha.
She decided to speak out to help snare the killer, who has now become so prolific that a specialist police operation has been set up.
More than 400 cats and small animals have been slaughtered to date, mainly in south London.
“It’s horrific,” said Mrs Brown, of Beckenham, south-east London.
“I have had to tell Tabitha that her cat has been murdered by this serial killer. At such a young age she is now having to cope with such a terrible loss.
“There is a serial killer stalking our cats on our leafy streets and I wonder how long it is before he stops getting pleasure from killing our pets and needs to turn to torturing and murdering people to satisfy his twisted mind.”
The person behind the mutilations was originally dubbed the Croydon Cat Killer after striking within the Croydon and M25 area during the last two years.
But more recently, they have been renamed the UK Animal Killer after spreading across the country and mutilating rabbits and foxes.
Killings have also taken place in Brighton and Northamptonshire.
Operation Takahe now boasts a dedicated team of Scotland Yard detectives and there is a £10,000 reward on offer for the killer’s arrest and conviction.
The Yard launched operation in 2015 after concerns about the number of killings. Celebrities including actor Martin Clunes and model Abbey Clancy have appealed to the public.
The killings have put cat owners across the UK, especially in the south-east, on high alert, with some afraid to let their pets out after dark. The death toll is closing in on 500, with more than 20 in 10 months.
South Norwood Animal Rescue Liberty (Snarl) says there are now around five murders a week.
Police are also alarmed by the killer’s sadistic nature with cats’ bodies often left outside owners’ homes.
Mrs Brown said Harley left her home at about 11pm last Wednesday, but did not return.
The next morning she received a call from the police while she was at the dentist with Tabitha, saying Harley had been found dead and “it wasn’t a road accident”.
A vet later confirmed he had been bludgeoned over the head and his tail had been removed – bearing all the gruesome similarities of the UK Animal Killer.
“I was devastated and couldn’t believe it,” she said. “What kind of person kills a little girl’s pet cat?”
The Operation Takahe team can be contacted on 020 8649 0216 or Snarl on 07961 030064.