Steven Bouquet, dubbed the "Brighton cat killer", was jailed over the deaths of nine cats and injuries inflicted on seven more.

He carried out the attacks in Brighton before being captured on CCTV set up by the owner of a dead feline.

The Prison Service said Bouquet died in hospital in Kent on 6 January.

His cause of death has not been disclosed, but Bouquet's sentencing hearing was told he had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, which had spread to his liver and lungs.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Steve Bouquet died at Maritime Medway Hospital on January 6 2022.

"The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed."

Bouquet was jailed for five years and three months at Hove Crown Court last July after being found guilty of 16 offences of criminal damage in relation to the cats, as well as possession of a knife.

The attacks all took place in Brighton between October 2018 and May 2019.