Who allegedly mutilated and positioned “sinister” squirrel corpses in St Albans?

Potters Crouch Lane. Picture: Google Maps Archant

“Sinister” squirrel corpses with allegedly deliberate injuries have been discovered by a St Albans runner.

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The 40-year-old woman, who would prefer to remain unnamed, was jogging the St Albans Half Marathon route last Wednesday when she noticed what she first thought was roadkill on Potters Crouch Lane.

She said: “I saw, on my right hand side, these dead squirrels which at first glance looked like they had been run over by a car.

“But there was something really strange about them, there were two of them positioned next to each other and that is when I realised somebody had purposefully placed them there.”

She said the corpses were arranged symmetrically side by side with arms outstretched - and both bodies had open, bleeding wounds to the anus.

“It looked like somebody had inserted something quite big, creating the injury, then taken it out again.

“So I immediately thought I need to take some pictures, but then I realised I was in the middle of nowhere and whoever did this could be nearby.”

After running home, she contacted Herts police - who are treating the incident as roadkill.

The runner disagrees: “I personally think, having seen what I saw, it was somebody who was not right in the head. Some people mentioned it could have been kids but it just looked like they were placed in a very sinister position.

“Somebody had taken time to think about how they were going to place them on the road and what they looked like.”

She said she hoped the squirrels did not suffer, and will now take precautions before running by herself: “We have beautiful country lanes in the day, when the sun is shining, but now it’s made me think they might not be as safe as I thought they were.”

A prolific animal killer has been operating across the country, including in St Albans. The perpetrator has mutilated pet cats, rabbits in hutches, wild foxes, and even deer.

The person responsible was initially dubbed the Croydon Cat Killer, but as their crimes escalated they became known as first the M25 Cat Killer, and now the UK Animal Killer.

There have been at least four pet mutilations in St Albans district since July 2016. However, this incident has not been linked.