Actor Martin Clunes has urged the Met Police to catch the so-called cat killer of Croydon who is believed to have beheaded two felines in Crystal Palace.
At least 35 cats are thought to have been killed around the south London borough, according to the actor, who sent the email to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe on behalf of animal rights group Peta.
Last month two cats and a fox were reportedly found beheaded by a street cleaner, all in a 200m radius of Stoney Lane in Crystal Palace.
The Met Police confirmed that a PCSO on routine patrol in the Crystal Palace area received a report of two cats discovered in adjacent streets and a fox killed nearby.
The animals reportedly found include a black and white cat in St Aubyns, a tabby cat in Coxwell Road and a fox in Stoney Lane.
In his email to the Met, Clunes – a former Croydon schoolboy - wrote: "I read with horror that some of the cats had been decapitated and dismembered - this is the stuff of nightmares.
"The local community is understandably distraught and frightened. No one feels safe while this sick individual is on the loose."
Former Croydon schoolboy Martin Clunes.
He goes on to note that mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider animal abuse to be a red flag indicating a deep mental disturbance.
He concludes the letter by saying: "Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given the malicious nature of these crimes, I implore you to take every measure necessary, including re-examining all available CCTV footage, to apprehend this dangerous criminal.
"The safety of the entire community depends on it."
A spokesman for the Met said the officer who has been dealing with the spate of cat killings around Croydon was investigating the latest discoveries in Crystal Palace, as well as working with the South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL).
The pair behind SNARL believe at least 13 deaths in south London can be linked to the cat killer, as well as 32 historic cases in Croydon and the outskirts of the borough.
In a bid to catch the culprit and bring them to justice they have raised £5,000 to fund forensic analysis on the dead animal bodies.
The DNA analysis will be passed to police, as they continue to investigate the killings.
Meanwhile animal charity PETA have offered a £2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the so-called “cat ripper of Croydon”.
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