Mosta Mayor Shirley Farrugia said today that the 'cat killer' seen on CCTV footage in September appeared to be different from the one recorded earlier this week.

However she admitted on TVAM that she was not the most qualified person to make this comparison, the video quality was poor, and the man in the footage wore different clothes.

The mayor also told Times of Malta that she had repeatedly called upon Police Commissioner [Peter Paul Zammit] to release any available footage of the perpetrator, but she did not receive a reply. 

She said she had been in regular contact with the police since 2012 and passed on any information supplied by residents about the spate of animal cruelty cases in the locality.

The last time the police contacted, her, Dr Farrugia added, was when Assistant Police Commissioner Martin Sammut asked her if she knew who had leaked CCTV footage from one of the cameras to the media. She said she did not know.

The Mayor said she had seen video taken in September and this week and in her view the man shown could be different. However, she said, a person who had actually spotted the perpetrator in September was convinced it was the same person involved in the latest case.

The police have been carrying out intensive investigations, including searches in several houses and farms. It is understood that footage from two other cameras was recovered after this week's case.

Animal Welfare Officer Emanuel Buhagiar said the changing methods could indicate that the police may well have spoken to an offender as part of their questioning. He said whoever was found guilty could face a maximum jail term of 18 months and a fine of €30,000 but the penalties could increase if a link was made with offending religious morals, among other things.

the dead animals were almost always nailed to upside down crosses. In many cases the macabre finds were made alongside religious sites such as churches or statues.

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