Teenager detained for mutilating kittens near Ruislip Golf Course

A 17-year-old boy has been detained for the torture and killing of two kittens that were found cut open in a wooded area in west London.

He was given a 12-month detention and training order by District Judge Hina Rai, who said that the killings near Ruislip Golf Course were “without a doubt the most awful offences against animals I have seen in this court”.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, had also dreamed of killing a human and “getting away with murder”. His accomplice in the animal abuse, a 17-year-old girl, will be sentenced later.

A passerby saw the boy holding a black bag, which was “moving slightly as if something live was inside it”, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ heard.

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The boy was given a lifetime ban on keeping or owning animals.

Along with the girl, who also cannot be named because of her age, the teenager had previously pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animals by mutilating and killing them.

A member of the public who found the kittens warned another passerby not to go down the footpath because “there is something horrific down there”.

The black kittens were found with ropes attached to them and had been cut open. Also discovered at the scene were blowtorches, three knives and a pair of scissors.

One kitten was found hanging from a rope and was completely ripped open, with its eyes bulging, the court heard.

Alongside the tools, a significant amount of blood and fur were found.

The teenagers also admitted one count of unlawful possession of a knife.

Sentencing the boy, Judge Rai told him his actions had been “extensively planned” and were “clearly premeditated”.

She 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 kill another person.

They 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.”

The boy, who may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism which has yet to be diagnosed, had no previous convictions.

Additional reporting by PA Media