A sadist cradles a kitten before bludgeoning it to death in the most horrific case an RSPCA officer has ever seen.

Aaron Barker, 26, was last week jailed for five months for inflicting terrible injuries on rescue cats Panther and his black and white buddy Baby.

4 Aaron Jay Barker was locked up for just 20 weeks after causing horrific injuries to four-month-old siblings Baby and Panther

A judge also banned the mental health care worker from keeping pets for life.

Despite pictures showing his apparent affection for cats, The Sun can reveal evil Barker, from Nottingham, has a sickening history of animal torture.

He allegedly has form for killing a gerbil, hamsters - and a cat called Milo he was looking after for a family friend who had died of cancer.

Panther and Baby were registered to Barker's psychiatric nurse girlfriend Verity Castle, 24, who is incredibly standing by him - tearing apart her animal loving family.

4 The 26-year-old claimed a burglar left the defenceless animals with broken ribs, skull fractures and brain haemorrhages

They are now pleading with her to see sense fearing she faces danger on the prison release of a psychopath.

Nottingham Crown Court heard last week the four month old kittens had been collected from the Cats Protection League just 10 days before they were slaughtered last January.

Barker lied that the kittens were killed by a mysterious intruder while he was at work - but he failed to call 999.

He denied his daily thwarting of attacks from violent mental patients had left him unstable.

RSPCA prosecutor Paul Wright said Panther suffered a fractured skull and blood on the brain while black and white Baby had five fractured ribs and a ruptured spleen.

The society's inspector Laura Kirkham described it afterwards as the most awful case she had ever dealt with.

She added: "From the moment I was made aware of the injuries on both kittens, I have spent many sleepless nights thinking about the most horrifying ordeal that they were put through.

"Baby and Panther were two practically defenceless four-month-old kittens who were subjected to a deliberate assault resulting in fractured ribs, a ruptured liver, brain haemorrhages and many other appalling injuries."

4 Family of Aaron's girlfriend Verity Castle fear for her safety

The two day trial at which Barker was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering heard damage to the kittens' claws suggested they had desperately tried to escape.

Vets believed they could have been had been struck with a blunt instrument, kicked, punched, dragged and thrown against a wall of the house in the city's Basford.

Barker - who sent pals Whatsapp pictures of him cuddling Panther soon after taking him in - told the court he tried to revive the creatures and even gave one the kiss of life.

Defending solicitor Nigel Dicks said: "Close family members, friends and colleagues (say) he is a kind person and someone who is fond of all animals."

4 Two kittens, shown being rescued on The One Show, were later pinned to the floor and beaten to death by a sick animal abuser

However, Verity's brother Charlie, 22, revealed their mum and her husband have been left devastated by Verity's devotion to the beast.

The DHL administrator said: "They got together after meeting at work in late 2015. A pal of Aaron told us how he once killed a gerbil at school by attaching it to a ceiling fan.

"When they moved in together they bought two hamsters which kept getting injured with bulging eyes. A vet said they had been crushed.

"After they died they bought four more hamsters. We also had an old family friend who before he died was distressed over what would happen to his black and white cat called Milo, a lovely five year old.

Kittens Baby and Panther rescued by a volunteer on The One Show from a derelict shed in Nottingham before being beaten to death by sick animal abuser Jay Barker

"Aaron and Verity took him in. One day Aaron had deep scratches on his arm. He explained he was protecting Milo from a stray cat that lashed out, but it was clearly Milo trying to protect himself.

"The new hamsters kept getting injured before they all kept dying - Aaron put it down to Milo sticking his paws through the cage.

"Milo was killed when run over by a car, according to Aaron. But the same pathologist vet who examined Panther and Baby declared after a post mortem he had been murdered.

"He said he had been pinned down and battered in the head and kicked, his liver split and he died from a blunt force trauma. The RSPCA knows he killed Milo in the same manner as the kittens."

Charlie added: "The family is disgusted with Aaron and we fear for the future of Verity and her safety if she continues to stand by him.

"He is a vile excuse of a man. Hopefully he will live a long and miserable existence.

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"She is not part of the family now, we have little hope for her."

Verity - who gave evidence in court for her boyfriend - admitted to the judge a vet on seeing the injuries to the dead kittens questioned if she was safe at home. She did not respond to a request for comment.

After he was jailed she wrote on social media: "Finally our horrible year is over. Everyone knows he is not the person these people have horribly made him out to be. We just have to get him through this final bit."