‘It was just his body and his head was missing but I knew it was him, he’s got this little dark splodge of black on his left leg and I knew it was him.’

Mr Patrick said the discovery left him feeling ‘ill for days’.

‘I reported it to the police and I just hope they catch the person that did it, so no one else has to see what I saw,’ he said. ‘My wife passed away three years ago and I got Jonesy because the house felt too empty.’

‘I’m devastated, to be completely honest with you.’

The Yeovil Animal Safety and Rescue Centre have issued a warning to residents, advising them to keep their pets locked up indoors at night.

‘We’ve had reports of mutilated cats turning up for several weeks now,’ said a spokesperson. ‘We believe it could be the work of the same individual, or individuals, and we’d advise anyone in the Yeovil area to keep a close eye on their pets.’

Last week on Wednesday, the Daily Post reported on a 5-year-old cat that had been found with its stomach slit open and some of its organs removed. The week before, two more cats were found dead with their throats cut; one of them was missing a tail and the other was missing its front paw.

A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Constabulary confirmed they are working with the RSPCA to investigate reports surrounding suspicious animal deaths in the area, and that an investigation is underway.

Dr Timothy Flagstaff, a lecturer in Criminology at the University of Bristol, said the evidence could suggest the work of a serial killer.

‘These reports are very concerning,’ he said. ‘The extreme violence of the killings coupled with the missing body parts – which could be being kept as trophies – suggests an individual with a disturbing lack of empathy.’

‘When we look into the cases of well-known serial killers or psychopaths, these individuals have often committed acts of violence towards animals in their teenage years,’ he continued.

‘What may start as a thrill for the individual in question gradually loses its effect over time, which often leads to the criminal taking greater risks to recreate their initial excitement.’

James (2002)

1

When James Tramper looked around the campfire, he had a brief moment of unreality. Unreality, was that the right word? Maybe not, but he couldn’t think of a better one, and his gran always told him that if you didn’t have the right words you had to make do.