Aussie teens caught on CCTV allegedly stealing and killing family's cat

Two boys – one just 12 years old – were arrested and charged with torture and causing death to an animal.

A family searching for their missing pet has made a horrific discovery on their CCTV cameras, capturing the moment their beloved cat was allegedly stolen and killed by two youths.

Emily Bidart’s family brought Brandy home when she was a kitten 17 years ago. Emily was just 11 at the time, and grew up with Brandy, who she says was well-known by all her neighbours.

When Brandy failed to come home last Wednesday Emily drove from Newcastle to her parent’s house in Sydney's northwest to help find her, and immediately turned to the CCTV footage.

Brandy, a ginger cat, lies on the grass outside her family's home in Glenwood.
Brandy the ginger cat was allegedly taken from her home and killed on Wednesday, March 8. Source: 7News.com.au

“As soon as I got home I didn’t even go into the bush to go searching for her, I just went straight to the security cameras to look at the footage because I just had an instinct that something was wrong,” she told 7News.com.au.

The chilling footage shows one boy near the family’s front door, allegedly looking into a garden bed at 4.33pm. According to Emily, her mum had left the property just minutes before.

At 4.56pm, a boy can be seen wearing a black hoodie, a white face mask and gloves approaching the house. Two minutes later, after allegedly stealing Brandy from the garden, he runs away from the house towards the park.

Emily said at that point she was already “inconsolable”, but when her mother suggested they track the boys’ movements on a second camera on the side of their house, things took a heartbreaking turn.

“That’s when the boy that [allegedly] took her passed her over the fence to another boy.

“As soon as I saw the first blow to my cat I had to look away,” she said through tears.

A friend who was watching the disturbing footage with them immediately ran across the road and found Brandy’s body floating in a pond.

Dog poo allegedly thrown at front door days later

Days after Brandy’s death, the family’s cameras caught boys allegedly throwing dog poo at their front door.

With the help from neighbours’ cameras, they were able to track the boys to a house and report the incidences to police.

A boy wearing a black hoodie and a white mask approached the family home.
CCTV captured the moment boys approached the home, appearing to search for Brandy before returning 23 minutes later. Source: 7News.com.au

On Tuesday evening, two boys aged 12 and 14 were arrested and charged with torture, beating and causing death to an animal, and disposing of a killed/stolen animal.

A statement says police allege that at about 4.30pm on Tuesday, March 8 two boys took a cat from a home in Glenwood, into a nearby clearing.

“It will further be alleged the boys assaulted and killed the cat," the police statement said.

“Both boys were granted strict conditional bail and are due to appear at a children’s court on Tuesday 4 April 2023.”

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