Teenage boy and girl admit torturing and killing two kittens

A teenage girl and boy have pleaded guilty to torturing and killing two kittens in northwest London.

Warning: This article contains details some readers may find distressing The Metropolitan Police received a report on 3 May alleging that two teenagers had dismembered the animals on Ickenham Road in Ruislip. The 16-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested on Monday 19 May and appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

They were flanked by security officers as they both admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the protected animals by "mutilating and killing" them. They also both admitted one count of possession of a knife at Ruislip Golf Course.

The kittens were found with ropes attached to them and had been cut open, prosecutor Valerie Benjamin told the court. One kitten was found hanging from a tree while the other was on the ground nearby.

Read more from Sky News:Girl unlawfully killed after she died at waterparkPeople smuggler jailed for role in £12m operationFamily pay tribute to 'hero' firefighter killed in blaze Members of the public had seen the teenage boy in possession of an animal carrier and "became concerned" when they later saw him and the 16-year-old girl running from the scene, the court heard. Knives, blowtorches and scissors were also found at the scene, the hearing was told.

After the kittens were found, police appealed for information and released CCTV images of suspects and an image of a black bag believed to have been used to carry the animals in. The teenagers will be sentenced at the same court on 23 June.

Two other teenagers, a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, arrested on Friday on suspicion of animal cruelty were released without charge, the Metropolitan Police said..