"I take a very serious view of this case."

'There will be consequences,' the judge said.

They won't be anything like serious enough.

Former Royal Navy able seaman Steve Bouquet killed nine cats and injuring seven more in Brighton between October 2018 and June 2019 in central Brighton.

There's not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that this is the tip of the iceberg and he killed or injured more. 

Bouquet, of Rose Hill Terrace, Brighton, will be sentenced later.

But they've apparently got to arrest him first? 

The former shopping centre security guard was tried in his absence after failing to appear at court.

His location was kept secret from the jury who took three hours to find him guilty.

Bouquet will be arrested when doctors have finished assessing his physical and mental state.

Doesn't arrest usually come before trial? 

...on the day his trial was due to start, Bouquet failed to turn up at court, leading to a delay while the judge decided whether try him in his absence.

After hearing representations from both defence and prosecution – which no journalist was admitted to the courtroom to hear – Judge Stephen Gold ruled the trial could proceed.

A reporting restriction was issued preventing the media from reporting on the fact the ruling had been made.

That reporting restriction has now been lifted. And let's hope this counts - for sentencing - as an aggravating factor.