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Parish councillor resigns after being accused of trying to ‘blow up’ beloved pet cat
10 February 2025, 05:20
Cat terrorised with remote explosives in sleepy English village | LBC investigation
A parish councillor has resigned after footage shared by LBC exposed an alleged attempt to "blow up" a beloved family pet.
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The incident is one of at least two occasions that cats in Whittlebury, Northamptonshire, were allegedly targeted by Councillor James Garnor in 2023 using remote-detonated explosives.
Councillor Garnor was initially spoken to by police in October 2023, after the force received a complaint from a member of the community about a blast involving their cat dating back to April 2023.
It is understood that Cllr Garnor attended a voluntary interview in relation to the matter but despite being supplied with footage of the incident from 9th April 2023, police concluded that there was insufficient evidence to bring a criminal charge.
Garnor has now announced his resignation, with a statement from Whittlebury Parish Council reading: "We are aware of the recent media coverage regarding an alleged incident involving one of our parish councillors. The incident in question, which reportedly took place in 2023, was investigated at the time by Northamptonshire Police who decided to not take any further action.
"It is important to clarify that this incident occurred in a private capacity and not in any official capacity as a councillor. Whittlebury Parish Council does not have the authority to remove a councillor from their position.
Cat video 1
"According to the law, a councillor can only be disqualified if they have received a criminal conviction and a custodial sentence exceeding three months. We understand the concerns raised by the community and want to assure everyone that we take all matters of animal welfare seriously.
"We can confirm that Cllr Garnor resigned from the council on Friday 7th February 2025, with immediate effect.
"While the council cannot intervene in private matters, we encourage all individuals to act responsibly and with consideration for the wellbeing of all animals.
"We are committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of our community and will continue to uphold the highest standards of conduct. Whittlebury Parish Council will not be commenting further on this matter."
At the time, Garnor was dealt with using anti-social behaviour legislation.
However, many in Whittlebury felt Cllr Garnor’s punishment failed to reflect the seriousness of his actions, and the potential harm he could have caused to beloved pets.
Nikki’s cat, Suki, has twice sustained injuries, including singed whiskers, after stepping into the bugged birdhouse.
The video shows Suki leap up into the birdhouse, appearing to peck at the food on offer, before a flash of bright light stuns the cat, forcing its hasty escape.
Nikki told LBC of her shock when she found out what had happened.
“[Suki] came home one day missing her whiskers on her face - they looked like they’d been dissolved - so I put a post in my local community page on Facebook… just to warn people in case there was something she’d rolled in that had dissolved them.
“But somebody contacted me to tell me it wasn’t what I thought it was, that somebody had actually blown my cat up - and that it was my neighbour and local councillor. It made me feel physically sick.”
Nikki was also sent a video of the incident, allegedly captured by Cllr Garnor and circulated amongst his friendship circle.
It is unclear whether Cllr Garnor intended to cause harm to the animals. He did not respond to repeated requests for comment from LBC.
Mystery also surrounds the motivation behind the incidents. Locals say he was asked by a neighbour to help deter cats from stealing food that had been laid out for the birds.
But Nikki says the explosions have had a lasting effect on Suki’s behaviour.
“She used to be a lovely cat,” Nikki recounted. “She would come and sit for hours, cuddling and playing and bobbing her head all over you. If you wanted a cuddle, she was there - she was like a scarf around your neck.
“Now she very rarely comes near you, and if she does, she’s got her claws out - she hisses, she growls.
“She’s not the loving cat she used to be - and I don’t blame her… the change in her happened pretty much overnight.”
The local community is divided as to whether Cllr Garnor received an appropriate punishment for his actions.
Cat video 2
Some of those we spoke to in Whittlebury believed that Cllr Garnor deserved to be cut some slack. They noted the disturbance that some local cats had caused and stressed that they had sustained no serious injuries.
One woman even described the issue as being “blown out of proportion”.
However, others argue he behaved irresponsibly.
Speaking to LBC, local resident Amelia pointed out that, as a local councillor, he has an additional responsibility to set an example to his community.
“You can clearly see the videos have been slowed down [and] edited. It’s very set-up: the animal has been enticed on the bird table with food whilst said individual was sitting there with the detonator waiting for [the cat] to appear.
“He is a member of our parish council, so it makes you worry what decisions are being made there by the individual… he has offered no apology [and] shown no remorse.”
Amelia also expressed her disappointment that criminal charges had not been laid against Cllr Garnor: “I think the police need to take further action [and] he needs to be removed as a member of the parish council. It also needs to send a message to other people who think this is okay… harming animals is not okay.”
Under existing animal cruelty laws, an individual can serve up to five years in jail for inflicting serious cruelty; financial penalties can also reach up to £40,000 in the most severe cases.
When responding to LBC’s enquiries, Northamptonshire Police refused to identify the individual, as he had not received a criminal charge, but confirmed they were in receipt of a video dated April 9 2023.
Yet mystery surrounds whether the force was aware of the second, more dramatic footage unearthed by LBC today.
Approached for comment on the new video, the force told LBC “We appreciate the concern incidents of this nature cause and want to offer reassurance that any such reports are taken seriously.”
Meanwhile, the Northamptonshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Danielle Stone, said: "I share the view of the Chief Constable that cruelty to animals is abhorrent," though stressed operational matters are at the discretion of the Northamptonshire Police.
