A 70-YEAR-OLD man set traps for his neighbour's cats and then bludgeoned them to death with a hammer, a court was told.

And it heard how William Seed then submerged the "99.9 per cent dead" creatures in a dustbin filled with water to ensure there was no return.

But the farm-born pensioner told Blackburn magistrates that at the time he didn't think he was doing anything wrong.

"If a dog comes onto my pen and kills my hens and geese I would be able to kill it by law," Seed told the magistrates. "I always thought it was the same with cats."

Seed, of Higher Road, Longridge, pleaded guilty to three charges of causing criminal damage to cats and one of attempting to steal a cat. The case was adjourned until October 1 for the preparation of pre-sentence reports and Seed was warned that all options, including custody, would be open to the sentencing bench.

Sue Riley, prosecuting, described the charges as "unusual". She said the first cat, Rosie, had been rescued from a trap by its owner Ian Marwood.

"That is the subject of the attempted theft but it is clear Rosie would have met the same fate as the other cats had Mr Marwood not removed her from the trap," said Mrs Riley.

She said when Rosie failed to come home, Mr Marwood went looking for her and heard distress calls coming from the allotment owned by Seed. The cat was in a spring trap with a decoy bird.

She said Shirley Shorrock described a long-standing dispute with Seed who had accused her of allowing her cat to enter his garden and urinate there.

On May 15 she had let her cats out but Claudia had failed to return. On August 13, another neighbour, Samantha Griffiths had let her three cats, George, Mildred and Knuckles out. The following morning only Mildred and Knuckles returned. That night the two remaining cats went out but Mildred did not come back.

Mrs Griffiths contacted the police and when they visited Seed's allotment they found a Larsen trap and a spring trap. Seed admitted using the spring trap to catch cats that entered his garden.

"I were brought up on a farm and anything that killed anything we was allowed to kill, be it a dog or a fox or whatever," said Mr Seed.