A St Albans woman who believes she is a victim of the “M25 Animal Killer” has hit back at police for ending a three-year investigation into the cat decapitations.
The Met police last week announced that after studying six cases they believe the pet mutilations are not the work of a sadistic human but are actually fox scavenging.
There have been more than 400 incidents reported to police since 2014.
This news was particularly shocking for Christina, who would prefer to only reveal her first name, after finding her elderly cat Jack butchered in the neighbour’s garden last year.
She said it was impossible for a fox to make the “clean cut” knife wounds Jack suffered, or for a predator to position him deliberately in a place he would never normally venture.
“I think it’s embarrassing. I think it is insulting that they have released a statement which is so full of lies - insulting to all the people that have found their animals.”
Christina believes the Met discontinued the investigation because they ran into a dead end with leads and funds.
Adding: “They are no closer to solving it than when they started. What I am saying is that I can understand it if they are not getting any closer, but I think they should have just said ‘we are winding down the investigation’, or something, rather than going on the news and lying.”
A petition urging the Met police to reopen this case has racked up more than 22,000 signatures in five days.
The centre which originally lobbied police to set up an investigation in 2015, South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL), has said it will continue working to catch the perpetrator even through Operation Takahe is closed: “We consider that the evidence we have gathered over the last three years does indicate human involvement and there is expert opinion to back this up.”
They have discounted more than 1,500 incidents as non-human related.
Christina, who still “really misses” Jack, said she believes “there is no reason [for the attacks] other than the sick satisfaction of it”.
The Met police did not wish to comment further on the case.
To sign the petition, visit www.change.org/p/metropolitan-police-croydon-cat-killer
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here