‘Sadistic’ cat killer who tortured his girlfriend’s kitten by shooting it and covering it in bleach before beating it to death is handed one of the longest ever sentences for animal cruelty

A ‘sadistic’ cat killer who tortured his girlfriend’s kitten by shooting it and covering it in lye before beating it to death has received one of the longest jail sentences for animal cruelty.

Lewis Hudson, 23, kicked Binx with steel-toed boots, boiling her in a steaming shower and knocking her teeth out.

He was jailed for 27 months last week and banned for life from owning a pet for abusing the cat.

The RSPCA said the cat suffered “appalling levels of physical violence and psychological suffering” over a prolonged period before she was finally beaten to death.

Hudson’s prison sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on July 26 is believed to be one of the longest ever handed down for offenses under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Lewis Hudson, 23, (pictured) kicked Binx in steel-toed boots, boiling her in a steaming shower and knocking her teeth out.

The RSPCA worked in partnership with police to prosecute Hudson, of Netherley, Liverpool, who pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offenses in relation to Binx.

He also admitted to one count of putting a person in fear of stalking violence as part of the case that was brought to court by CPS.

The appalling catalog of abuse began in the months after Hudson moved into a flat in Prescot, Merseyside, with her now-former partner, who owned Binx, in August 2021, the court heard.

The incidents included leaving the 11-month-old kitten in the shower with hot water running for long periods of time, shooting her with pellets, which he had soaked in household cleaner, from his BB gun, and hitting her with a bleach-soaked mop. .

He also filmed himself stomping on the kitten in steel-toed boots, leaving her screaming.

Video footage shows some of the shocking injuries inflicted on the cat and the abuse continued for around eight months.

On one occasion, last July, Binx was found by her owner motionless and bloody in the bathroom where she had been beaten with a shovel.

He did it with such force that some of the young animal’s teeth broke off.

On August 15 of last year, in a disturbing series of text messages sent to her partner, Hudson told her, “if you don’t come home now, I’m going to kill her,” as well as “you want her in a garbage bag.”

He returned home to find the kitten dead, its body covered in blood.

The RSPCA said Binx suffered “appalling levels of physical violence and psychological suffering” over an extended period before she was finally beaten to death.

Hudson was jailed for 27 months last week and banned for life from owning a pet for his disgusting campaign of cat abuse.

In a disturbing series of text messages sent to her partner, Hudson told her, “If you don’t come home now, I’m going to kill her,” as well as “you want her in a garbage bag.”

The police were called and Hudson was arrested.

Binx’s body was later collected by RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes, who led the investigation on behalf of the animal welfare charity.

The inspector said: ‘Binx was bagged, covered with a towel and contained within a cardboard box.

“I saw that he had several fresh wounds around his nose and chin area. I noticed that there were no obvious signs that would suggest that Binx had been involved in a traffic accident and that her claws did not appear to be scraped.

‘The inside of his mouth was bloody and I noticed that both upper canines were broken. While handling Binx, I noticed a crisp packing sound coming from the chest area which may be a sign of subcutaneous emphysema and indicative of chest trauma.

Inspector Joynes arranged for a post mortem examination and was paid for by the RSPCA.

It showed that Binx’s body was covered in cuts and bruises and that she had suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, the latter of which had led to her death.

According to a report from an independent veterinary expert, feces and blood were observed in multiple areas of the facility, indicating that the cat was injured and moving around for a period of time immediately prior to its death.

“The most probable cause of death in this otherwise healthy animal was traumatic and not accidental pneumothorax.

Incidents of abuse included leaving the 11-month-old kitten in the shower with hot water running for long periods of time, shooting her with pellets from her BB gun and beating her with a bleach-soaked mop.

Hudson’s jail term at Liverpool Crown Court on July 26 is believed to be one of the longest ever for offenses under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

“It is clear that the animal suffered multiple, different, blunt force traumas and that the animal was conscious when this occurred.

“In addition, the healing fractured rib and aged bleeding support the existence of a prior traumatic event to the chest, many days before the fatal set of injuries enumerated above.”

Speaking after yesterday’s sentencing hearing, Inspector Joynes said: ‘This case involved sadistic and stomach-churning levels of cruelty over an extended period.

“The extreme suffering Binx endured at the hands of Hudson was used to hurt and punish Binx’s owner, who was obviously devastated by what happened to her beloved pet.

“This is one of the most extreme examples of physical and psychological suffering inflicted on an animal that I have seen in 14 years with the RSPCA.

“This case involved nothing less than torture and is exactly why the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill was introduced in 2021 to increase sentencing powers for the most extreme cases of animal cruelty.”

Hudson, from Netherley, had admitted to two counts of causing Binx unnecessary suffering, in breach of section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Sentencing him to 27 months in prison and banning him from keeping animals for the rest of his life, Honorary Judge Brian Cummings described Hudson’s actions as a “disgusting catalog of cruelty to a defenseless animal.”

He was given two years and three months in connection with both offenses against Binx and a five-month sentence for the offense of stalking, to run concurrently, as well as a ten-year restraining order.

In mitigation, the court heard that Hudson was truly sorry and accepted that he had done something wrong.

The maximum prison term for animal cruelty was raised from six months to five years in 2021.