The man nicknamed the “Brighton cat killer” died of COVID on his fifty fifth birthday whereas receiving end-of-life most cancers care, in accordance with an inquest.
Stephen Bouquet was jailed for greater than 5 years in July 2021 after stabbing and killing 9 cats and injuring seven extra.
He carried out the assaults between October 2018 and May 2019 earlier than being caught on CCTV and arrested.
The Royal Navy veteran and former safety guard died in Medway Maritime Hospital on 5 January 2022 – simply six months in to his jail sentence.
An inquest has now discovered he died of COVID-19 pneumonitis, with a secondary reason behind persistent obstructive pulmonary illness.
The Maidstone listening to additionally heard Bouquet was being handled for thyroid most cancers whereas locked up at HMP Elmley in Kent.
The coroner Patricia Harding stated it was “not clear” the place Bouquet contracted coronavirus – both in hospital or in jail.
But he examined constructive for the sickness on 28 December 2021, a day after he was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital for a cough and problem respiration.
Bouquet was given antibiotics, oxygen and different treatment however “progressively deteriorated”, stated the coroner.
“Despite whatever measures, he was too weak to fight the infection and sadly he died on January 5, 2022, on his 55th birthday,” she added.
‘Vulnerable to an infection’
The coroner stated that when he was transferred to the jail in December he was already “extremely frail” and “vulnerable to infection”.
However, she stated she was glad the jail had adopted pandemic pointers.
Bouquet was convicted of 16 offences of felony injury over the cat assaults, in addition to a cost of knife possession.
His crimes led to the deaths of Hendrix, Tommy, Hannah, Alan, Nancy, Gizmo, Kyo, Ollie and Cosmo.
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During Bouquet’s trial, a number of cat homeowners within the East Sussex metropolis described discovering their pets bleeding on the doorstep.
He was caught after Hendrix’s homeowners observed a CCTV digital camera close to the place their cat had been stabbed.
The video confirmed Bouquet “stooping to stroke the cat before taking something from his rucksack and making a sudden jerk towards it”, stated Detective Inspector Chris Thompson.
A knife with cat blood on it and his DNA on the deal with was discovered at his house.
During sentencing, Judge Jeremy Gold QC described the assaults as “cruel” and “sustained”.
Bouquet beforehand served within the Royal Navy for 22 years, together with in Northern Ireland and Iraq.
Source: information.sky.com”