Two 17-year-olds have been detained for the “sadistic” torture and killing of two kittens in a wooded area near Ruislip, northwest London. The boy and girl, who cannot be named due to their age, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to protected animals by mutilating and killing them.
The boy, who admitted he had dreamed of killing a human, butchered a small black kitten and hung it with rope in May. Notes on his phone read: “I really wanted to murder someone. Every day I was researching how to get away with murder. I have come close. I have killed cats to reduce my urges. I have skinned, strangled and stabbed cats.”
Judge Rai described the killings as “without a doubt the most awful offences against animals I have seen in this court”. He noted the boy’s actions were “extensively planned” and “clearly premeditated”, adding that the boy attacked kittens because “they have emotion and you would have power over them”. The judge also said the boy struggled to show empathy.
Prosecutor Valerie Benjamin told Highbury Corner Magistrates Court that the boy’s actions showed a degree of planning and a desire to go on to kill humans. The boy also admitted possession of a knife at Ruislip golf course. The girl was sentenced to nine months in custody for her role, while the boy received a 12-month detention and training order. The pair had previously been reported missing after their arrest.
