Steve Bouquet killed nine of the cats, who were left to bleed to death in the street.
A serial cat killer who knifed nine pets to death and injured seven more has died while serving his five year sentence.
Steve Bouquet, a former Royal Navy gunner who served in the force for 22 years, was jailed last year after the string of fatal attacks in Brighton which saw cats found bleeding to death on their owner’s doorsteps.
The security guard carried out his deadly spree between October 2018 and May 2019 before finally being captured attacking a pet on CCTV set up by the owner of another dead feline.
Today, the Prison Service confirmed that he had died in hospital on January 6.
The cause of death is not known, but at his sentencing hearing the court was told Bouquet had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, which had spread to his liver and lungs.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: ‘Steve Bouquet died at Maritime Medway Hospital on January 6 2022.
‘The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed.’
Bouquet was jailed for five years and three months at Hove Crown Court last July after being found guilty of 16 offences of criminal damage in relation to the cats, as well as possession of a knife.
During his trial, jurors heard accounts from several cat owners who had found their pets bleeding on their doorsteps.
Nine cats – Hendrix, Tommy, Hannah, Alan, Nancy, Gizmo, Kyo, Ollie and Cosmo – were killed, while another seven were injured.
Emma O’Sullivan, whose cat Gizmo was killed, told Bouquet’s trial: ‘I miss Gizmo every day. After it happened it could not sleep. I spent many months in therapy working through what had happened.
‘I’ll miss her for the rest of my life. She was such a friendly and loving cat who loved sitting outside the house getting petted by people walking past.’
Katerine Mattock, owner of Alan who was killed, said: ‘This was a murder of innocent and much-loved cat called Alan. Alan was my family. He made my house a home.
‘One minute he was running round the kitchen then next he was dead, covered in blood.
‘He had an innocent and playful nature. It was dreadful to think he went to a stranger for a stroke and then got a stab instead.
‘In the immediate time after his death meant I had to have medication to sleep. The law is not fit for purpose.’
Prior to his murderous cat attacks, Bouquet had served in Northern Ireland and Iraq with the Royal Navy.
In his police interview read out in court, Bouquet told officers that all he knew about the cat killings was what he had read in the press.
He told police he was ‘no threat to animals’ – but a photo of a dead cat was found on his phone.
Sentencing him, Judge Jeremy Gold QC said his behaviour was ‘cruel, it was sustained and it struck at the very heart of family life’.
He added: ‘It is important that everyone understands that cats are domestic pets but they are more than that. They are effectively family members.
‘They are much loved by the adults and children who live with and care for them.
‘Cats and all domestic animals are a source of joy and support to their owners, especially during lockdown.’
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