Teenager, 17, detained for ‘sadistic' torture and killing of two kittens
The kittens were found with ropes attached to them and had been cut open near Ickenham Road, Ruislip, on May 3.
A member of the public who found them warned another passerby not to go down the footpath because 'there is something horrific down there'.
There was no reaction from the teenager as he stood in the dock at London's Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court and was handed a 12-month detention and training order.
District judge Hina Rai told the youngster the killings were 'without a doubt the most awful offences against animals I have seen in this court'.
The court heard the teenager had also dreamed of killing a human and 'getting away with murder'.
The boy, along with a 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had previously 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.
The girl has yet to be sentenced.
A small black kitten which was found hanging from a red rope and was completely ripped open and with its eyes bulging out, the court heard.
The other kitten was on the ground with ropes attached.
Both kittens were dead and there were pieces of flesh and fur which appeared to be burned off them.
Knives, blowtorches and scissors were also found at the scene.
Earlier a passerby 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.
In sentencing the judge told the boy that his actions were 'extensively planned' and 'clearly pre-mediated'.
The judge 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.'
She added: 'It seems you chose the kittens because they have emotion and you would have power over them.'
Notes on the boy's phone detailed his desire to get away with murder, reading: '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 may have ADHD and autism which has yet to be diagnosed, had no previous convictions.
Earlier prosecutor Valerie Benjamin 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'.
The horrific scenes were not a 'spur of the moment' event but involved planning in 'finding the animals, taking them to a public place and killing them in such a sadistic manner'.
The boy admitted his role in the animal cruelty during his police interview.
Ms Benjamin also told the court: '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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Teenagers who tortured and killed two kittens sentenced
A teenage girl and boy who tortured and killed two kittens have been sentenced after one animal was 'completely ripped open' and found hanging from a tree. The 17-year-olds, who cannot be named for legal reasons, launched the 'sadistic' attack on the animals on 3 May near Ickenham Road, Ruislip, in north-west London. The kittens were found cut open with ropes attached to them, and 'dead pieces of flesh and fur appeared to have been burnt off them', a court heard. The hearing was told the boy had also dreamed of killing a human and 'getting away with murder', with police analysis of his phone showing he had also researched 'sacrificing animals to satan' and watched a 'significant amount of videos of animals that have been mutilated and people that have been beheaded'. The court heard a note on his device read: 'I have got close to satisfying my urges. I have skinned, strangled and stabbed cats.' The police officer also told the hearing there were 'a few images of kittens that had been quite badly mutilated' on the phone of the girl, who was aged 16 at the time, as well as videos downloaded from a 'gore website' in the months leading up to the incident. The defendants appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in May and pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the protected animals by 'mutilating and killing' them. They also both admitted one count of possession of a knife at Ruislip Golf Course. The boy was sentenced to a 12-month detention and training order, and the girl was sentenced to a nine-month detention and training order, both at the same court in London on Monday. Passing sentence, District Judge Hina Rai described the case as 'deeply shocking and concerning' and told both defendants: 'Without a doubt, these are the most awful offences against animals that I have seen in this court.' The judge said the pair's 'clearly premeditated' actions would have caused 'immense suffering' to the kittens who were 'vulnerable and unable to escape'. The court heard members of the public had seen the pair walking on a footpath and holding hands in West Ruislip on the day of the incident. The teenage boy was holding a black carrier bag, which 'was seen to be moving slightly as if something alive was inside it'. The hearing was told members of the public became concerned when they later saw him and the girl running from the scene, which was described as 'horrific' by one member of the public who warned another to avoid it. Prosecutor Valerie Benjamin told the court police were alerted to the two 'dismembered' kittens left in a wooded area. Officers found a 'small black kitten hanging from a branch' by a red rope at the scene, she said. 'Its body was completely ripped open and its eyes were bulging out,' she added. The other animal 'had been cut open and had rope attached to it' when its body was discovered on the ground nearby, she told the hearing. Knives, blowtorches and scissors, which appeared to have blood on them, were also found at the scene, the hearing was told. The prosecutor described the way in which the animals were killed as 'sadistic'. Ms Benjamin told the court evidence from the boy's phone showed he had spoken about killing cats and dogs, suggesting a degree of planning for the attack – and had even searched how to kill a human. '[He] questioned how easy it would be to get away with murder, killing homeless people,' she said. A police officer who had been involved in reviewing the boy's phone detailed what she found on the device from the start of April until his arrest in May this year. She read out to the court a note discovered in his phone, which was written in May after the crime was committed. It stated: 'I really wanted to murder someone, and every day I was researching how to get away with murder. I have got close to satisfying my urges. I have skinned, strangled and stabbed cats.' Ms Benjamin told the court the girl had said she had carried out the attack because she was 'interested in biology and had done a dissection at school'. The court heard the boy may have ADHD and autism, which have yet to be diagnosed, and suffered depression, anxiety, hallucinations and self-harm. The hearing was told the girl had 'vulnerabilities' that were taken into account. Both had no previous convictions. A lifetime disqualification order from owning or keeping animals was also imposed by the court against both defendants.
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
RSPCA appeal after dead dog found buried on East Yorkshire beach
The body of a dog has been discovered buried on an East Yorkshire was found on Tuesday 29 July when a person spotted its paws sticking out of the sand just off Holmpton Road in Hollym, the RSPCA animal charity is appealing for information, describing the burial as "in suspicious circumstances".A spokesperson said there were no obvious injuries to the dark grey, wire-haired type dog, which had been wrapped in black fabric and was microchipped, but had no details registered. Animal rescue officer Emily Lomas, who recovered the body, said it was "upsetting" for the person who found it."We think the dog had been there for at least three days based on its condition," she said."We're keen to find out how and why this dog came to be left in circumstances like this."It's quite a remote stretch of beach, but we'd appeal to anyone who was in this area in the days prior to the dog being found and saw anything that might be of help to get in touch."Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices.
Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Police should reveal ethnicity of suspects, No 10 suggests
Police should be able to reveal the ethnicity of criminal suspects, Downing Street has indicated. Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman said law enforcement agencies and governing authorities 'should always be as transparent as possible' about criminal cases. It comes after two male asylum seekers in Warwickshire were charged in connection with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton last month. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was charged last week with rape, while Mohammad Kabir, also 23, was charged with kidnap and strangulation. Warwickshire Police reportedly advised local councillors and officials not to reveal the asylum-seeker background of the two suspects, for fear of 'inflaming community tensions'. The force has not denied reports that Mr Mulakhil and Mr Kabir are asylum seekers. Asked whether police should be able to release the details of the ethnicity of criminal suspects, the No 10 spokesman said: 'We've always said and continue to say that transparency is important, and that is our position. 'That from the police up to central government, we should always be as transparent as possible when it comes to cases.' The spokesman added that while he could not speak to the case in Warwickshire due to the live investigation, 'all authorities, from the police up to central government, should be as transparent as possible when handling these cases'. He added: 'I think our position is always that the police and the courts are operationally independent in these cases, that's obviously essential to democracy and confidence in the judicial system. 'But as I say, more broadly, our position is that authorities, whether it is the police or whether it's central government, should be as transparent as possible on these issues.' Sir Keir asked the Law Commission in March to fast-track new contempt of court rules, to allow more information to be released about suspects, The commission, which advises ministers on new laws, is expected to report back next month on what information law enforcement agencies should be able to publish. It followed concerns by three of the main policing bodies that the current rules on contempt of court – designed to ensure that any suspect receives a fair trial – risk leaving an information vacuum that could be filled by 'unchecked misinformation and disinformation'. Last summer, there was widespread unrest following the murder of three young girls in Southport by Axel Rudakubana. The riots were partly blamed on false claims circulating on social media that the Southport attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK on a small boat across the Channel. Other false rumours suggested the killer had been on an MI6 watchlist. The Prime Minister's spokesman pointed back to the commissioning of new advice from the Law Commission in March. Nigel Farage said on Monday that police forces should release the immigration status of people after they were charged with a crime. The Reform UK leader told a press conference: 'I absolutely think that they should and I think particularly given there is a pretty febrile atmosphere around these areas, particularly sexual assaults and rapes where the temperature of this debate has risen significantly, yes I do believe they should.'
