The story behind the Croydon cat killer - Almost 500 cats have been reported as killed and mutilated in and around Croydon. Take a look at the truth behind the headlines.

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Croydon - Since 2014, almost 500 cats have been found dead and mutilated in and around Croydon in south London.

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Spreading - Reports of cat deaths attributed to the same killer have since spread further around London and as far north as Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield.

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New incident - Recently the Daily Mail reported that a decapitated cat was found on a doorstep in Beckenham, south London and attributed it to the same killer.

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SNARL - South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) was set up three years ago in response to the killings.

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Reported - In October 2015, the group reported incidents of cat mutilation to the police and RSPCA.

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Outrage - In early 2016, 30,000 people signed a petition requesting the police conduct DNA testing of the corpses.

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Linked - Shortly after, the deaths of 10 cats were linked by a vet who wished to remain anonymous.

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Blunt trauma - In 2016 it was reported that the RSPCA believed that the deaths were due to blunt trauma, “likely consistent with being hit by a moving vehicle”. SNARL disagreed, saying that the animals were killed deliberately, perhaps by being thrown against a wall.

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Method? - After chicken was found in the stomachs of the victims, some theorised that the killer was luring victims with meat and hitting them on the head before dismembering them.

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Pattern - SNARL co-founder Boudicca Rising told the Daily Mail that there is a pattern.

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Planned - She said, "They are always within a mile of main roads, always in residential areas and always where there is not likely to be any CCTV. He knows his areas very well."

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Suspect - The Guardian reports that in August 2017, SNARL shared a description of a possible suspect they said came from the police.

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Description - After reports of suspicious activity in Surrey, they described a white man in his 40s who had acne scars and wore dark clothing and a head torch.

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Trophies - The Daily Mail reports that the killer is believed to use a machete or garden shears to kill and dismember the animals and often keeps body parts, like paws and tails, as trophies.

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Evidence - SNARL is keeping around 200 bodies in freezers in case DNA evidence can be used at a future date.

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A journalist? - A co-founder of the group told the Croydon Advertiser that he thinks a journalist could be behind the sick crimes.

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Long distances - "If you're a national journalist then you'll be moving all over to cover stories, and so it would be quite easy for someone in that role to cover long distances," he said.

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Other possibilities - "Of course there are other jobs like contractors and builders who move around, but there is certainly a possibility that a journalist might be able to maintain this level of attacks," he continued.

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Victims - Other animals have also been found dead and mutilated.

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Rabbits - SNARL co-founder Tony Jenkins said "There has been a very obvious increase in the amount of domesticated rabbits being killed... Two of the rabbits were killed and left in their hutch for the owners to find, and the other was left beheaded in its owners' back garden."

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Operation Tahake - This isn't just a conspiracy theory, police have a team of 15 who are working on catching the killer under the code name Operation Tahake.

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Reward - A £10,000 reward for the capture of the killer has been announced.

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