It is a matter of historic record that incidents involving cruelty to animals appear regularly in the records of serial rapists and murderers.

Serial murderers Ian Huntley, Dunblane gunman Thomas Hamilton, Fred West, Dennis Nilsen, Ian Brady and Raoul Moat all started out by deliberately harming animals, as did young killers Mary Bell, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables.

Therefore the sick individual responsible for recent attacks on pet animals across the district must be stopped, and stopped soon.

Animal abusers of this kind are invariable repeat offenders who escalate to harming human beings, as they become more brazen and look for increased stimulation from their twisted crimes.

Beyond the graphic horror of what this monster has done to defenceless animals comes the alarming realisation that they are breaking into private gardens armed with what is likely to be a large knife, while blissfully unaware families remain on the premises. Quite what they would be capable of if they were disturbed in their depravities sends shivers down the spine.

And although there may have been a random element in the attacks upon cats, the recent bunny mutilations were targeted crimes, and required a degree of research to identify rabbit owners and then determine how to access their properties.

Some residents have suggested the killer works for a pet delivery company, and has used his knowledge to identify likely targets on his rounds, which explains the extensive range of the crimes. Of course, this theory would certainly have been explored by detectives, and actually credits the offender with a greater degree of intelligence and resourcefulness than is likely.

In fact, this perverted individual is likely to be a loner, sexually repressed and without any friends or meaningful employment. As a child they may have been abused or neglected, and seek to establish a degree of control through their violent actions.

They may have been a bully when younger, are undoubtedly selfish, lacking in remorse and with a sadistic streak they struggle to contain. Ultimately they derive satisfaction and a sense of power from killing animals, and then imagining the impact of their deeds when the owner discovers what has happened.

This ruthlessness may be a substitute for a lack of control they feel in other areas of their lives, they may be looking to enjoy feelings of dominance or they may view animals as subjects for their pleasure.

Acts of cruelty towards animals are not mere indications of a minor personality flaw in the abuser, they are symtomatic of a deep mental disturbance, and it is essential that this person is caught and given the treatment they so desperately need, as their behaviour is a ticking time bomb which will eventually lead to attacks on people.

Please do not dismiss the long term threat posed by this cowardly criminal, and if you know anything which could help police with their investigation, speak out now before they strike again.