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The Guardian
04-08-2025
- The Guardian
Two teenagers detained over ‘sadistic' torture and killing of two kittens in London
Two teenagers have been detained for the 'sadistic' torture and killing of two kittens found cut open and hung in a wooded area in London. A 17-year-old boy, who said he had dreamed of killing a human, butchered a small black kitten and hung it with rope near Ruislip, in the north-west of the capital, in May this year. District judge Hina Rai said the killings were 'without a doubt the most awful offences against animals I have seen in this court'. The judge said the boy's actions were 'extensively planned' and 'clearly premeditated', and told him that he had seemingly attacked kittens because 'they have emotion and you would have power over them'. The judge continued: 'You said sorry in your [police] interview but reports also show that you struggle to show empathy and realise that the kittens would suffer.' The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, had spoken of his desire to 'get away with murder', a hearing at London's Highbury Corner magistrates court was told on Monday. Notes on his phone read: 'I really wanted to murder someone. Every day I was researching how to get way with murder. 'I have come close. I have killed cats to reduce my urges. I have skinned, strangled and stabbed cats.' The teenager, along with a 17-year-old girl, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the protected animals by mutilating and killing them. The pair also each admitted one count of possession of a knife at Ruislip Golf Course. There was no reaction from the boy as he stood in the dock and was handed a 12-month detention and training order. The girl, who also cannot be named, was sentenced to nine months in custody. Valerie Benjamin, prosecuting, told the court the boy's 'sadistic' actions 'showed a degree of planning' in looking for animals, researching how to kill them and his 'desire to go on to killing humans and how it would be to get away with murder and killing a homeless person'. A month after their arrest, the pair were reported missing and were found at a bus stop with a bag containing clothes, toiletries and tins of tuna, the Metropolitan police said. The boy admitted his role in the animal cruelty during his police interview, Benjamin said. He had no previous convictions. She added: 'He gave a prepared statement saying he was sorry for what he had done and took responsibility saying he was in a bad state of mind. 'He said he suffered depression, anxiety, hallucinations and self-harm.'
Telegraph
04-08-2025
- Telegraph
Boy, 17, tortured kittens ‘to reduce urge to murder people'
A 17-year-old boy has been detained for the 'sadistic' torture and killing of two kittens found mutilated in a wooded area in north-west London. A court was told the teenager wrote in notes found on his phone that he wanted to murder a human, and that he had killed cats, skinning, strangling and stabbing them, to reduce his homicidal urges. He showed no reaction as was sentenced, and a judge told him the killings were 'without a doubt the most awful offences against animals I have seen in this court'. At Highbury Corner magistrates' court, district judge Hina Rai sentenced him to a 12-month detention and training order. The court heard the teenager had also dreamed of killing a person and 'getting away with murder'. The kittens were found cut open with ropes attached to them near Ickenham Road, Ruislip, on May 3. Knives, blowtorches and scissors were also found at the scene. 'Something horrific down there' A member of the public who found them warned another passer-by not to go down the footpath because 'there is something horrific down there'. Earlier a passer-by had seen the boy holding a black animal carrier with netting at the end which was 'moving slightly as if something live was inside it', the court heard. The boy, along with a 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, previously pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animals by mutilating and killing them. The pair also each admitted one count of possession of a knife at Ruislip Golf Course. The girl has yet to be sentenced. Judge Rai told the boy that his actions were 'extensively planned' and 'clearly premeditated'. She told him: 'You said sorry in your (police) interview but reports also show that you struggle to show empathy and realise that the kittens would suffer. 'It seems you chose the kittens because they have emotion and you would have power over them.' Killer researched 'killing a homeless person' The court was told the youth wrote in notes on his phone: 'I really wanted to murder someone. Every day I was researching how to get way with murder. 'I have come close. I have killed cats to reduce my urges. I have skinned, strangled and stabbed cats.' The boy, who the court was told may have undiagnosed ADHD and autism, had no previous convictions. Valerie Benjamin, prosecuting, told the court the boy's actions 'showed a degree of planning in terms of looking for animals and researching in terms of killing animals and his desire to go on to killing humans and how it would be to get away with murder and killing a homeless person'. His horrific crimes were not 'spur of the moment' but involved planning in 'finding the animals, taking them to a public place and killing them in such a sadistic manner'. Ms Benjamin told the court he gave police a prepared statement saying he was sorry for what he had done and took responsibility, adding: ' He said he suffered depression, anxiety, hallucinations and self-harm.'
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Yahoo
Teenager jailed for sadistic killing of two kittens at west London golf course
A teenage boy who tortured and killed two kittens with knife, scissors and a blowtorch in a 'sadistic' double execution has been locked up for a year. Members of the public came across a gruesome scene on a footpath through Ruislip Golf Course in May, with one of the young cats strung up in a tree and the other laying dead nearby. Both kittens had been sliced open and burned, their heads were bulging out of their heads, and lumps of flesh and furs were found on the ground. A girl and a boy, both 17, admitted killing the kittens, and are at Highbury Corner magistrates court to be sentenced on Monday. The court heard the boy fantasised about killing humans, confessed to mutilating cats to 'reduce my urges', and he had researched how to get away with murder as well as Satanic animal sacrifices. In a note on his phone after the kittens were killed, he wrote: 'I really want to murder someone. 'Every day I was researching how to get away with murder. I've come close. 'I killed cats to reduce my urges. I have skinned, strangled, and stabbed cats.' District Judge Hina Rai sentenced the boy to a 12-month detention and training order. 'Without a doubt, these are the most awful offences against animals that I have ever seen,' she said. The judge said the boy is 'bright, articulate, and capable young boy', but added: 'This is a deeply shocking and concerning case. There was extensive planning, from sourcing the kittens to purchasing equipment. 'It was clearly premeditated, and there is evidence you researched similar content online.' She also noted that the teenager appears to have selected kittens 'because they have emotions and you are in a position of power over them'. The teenagers, who cannot be named due to being aged under 18, had to be sentenced separately, to avoid them being distracted in the dock by seeing each other for the first time in a month. The girl is due to be sentenced later. The court heard the teenagers were seen holding hands and walking down the street prior to the killings, on May 3, with the boy carrying the kittens in an animal carrier. They had advertised for the kittens online, and prosecutor Valerie Benjamin said it was a 'planned' killing. A member of the public found the bloodied kittens and then alerted another person not to go down the path as there was 'something horrific', the court heard. That second member of the public saw the teenagers and chased them in a bid to take photographs of the culprits, before going back to the bloodied scene. 'She saw two dismembered kittens', said Ms Benjamin. 'There was a small black kitten hanging from red rope around its neck, hanging from a branch. 'The lower body was totally ripped open and its eyes were bulging out.' The second kitten also had a rope around its neck and was laying on the ground, alongside 'pieces of flesh and fur which had been cut off and burned off them'. Ms Benjamin said knives, a pair of scissors, and a blowtorch were found nearby, and they 'appeared to have fresh blood stains on them'. When the boy was interviewed, he said he was 'sorry for what he had done', the court heard. He had a past history of self-harm, as well as extreme depression and anxiety. While in youth custody awaiting sentencing, the boy had 46 recorded incidents of bad behaviour, including racist stereotyping, trashing his bedroom, and using abusive language. Police said his video collection on his phone included animals being mutilated and beheaded. Naushad Amide, representing both teenagers, said of the boy: "There's nothing he's said to me that indicates he wants to murder somebody. "He has an interest in psychology. I think that plays a part into it." The teenage girl told police she 'felt remorse and would never do it again'. Both teenagers pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to two kittens and possession of knives at Ruislip golf course.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- The Independent
Watch shocking moment prolific Greggs shoplifter's arrest leads to lifetime ban
A prolific Greggs shoplifter was banned from every store in England and Wales after he was caught in the act by the police, who recorded the moment of arrest in shocking footage. Patrick Verry, 33, of no fixed address, was trying to stash multiple drinks bottles in his plastic bag from the store in Wood Green, north London, on 15 May. A plain clothes officer reprimanded him, to which he replied 'whatever mate', before the undercover officers restrained him and placed him under arrest. He then insisted that he was 'not resisting', before saying: 'I apologise bruv, I'm sorry.' The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to six counts of theft from the same store at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Friday (16 May) and was banned from all Greggs across England and Wales.
