A 48-year-old British man who dumped the remains of deer and stolen lambs at churches across southern England has been given an indefinite hospital order with restrictions. Benjamin Lewis, of Totton, pleaded guilty to five counts of religiously aggravated harassment and two counts of theft committed between February and August 2025.
Judge William Mousley KC, sentencing at Southampton Crown Court, said Lewis would otherwise have faced substantial imprisonment. Forensic psychiatrist Dr Gauruv Malhan told the court Lewis had autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and mixed personality disorder, and believed he belonged to a vampire cult. Police found satanic symbols, inverted crosses, and sketches of vampires and dead animals at his home.
The attacks targeted churches in Emery Down, Bramshaw, Colbury, and Totton, as well as an NHS mental health facility. Officers patrolled churches on full moon nights after noticing a pattern in the incidents. Lewis was arrested in May 2025, with animal blood found in his vehicle, and again in September following a further incident.