Fife’s notorious “urban hunter” child rapist was behind a rural crime bloodbath which resulted in the slaughter of a cat, hares, deer, a fox, a heron and other birds.
Brandon Robb admitted killing the animals using a catapult and his lurchers Glen and Skye in an autumn 2022 crime spree which came to light when one of his trophy videos began circulating on TikTok.
Now behind bars, Robb will be sentenced after he is dealt with by a High Court judge for his outstanding child rape cases.
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court was told Robb’s bloodthirsty campaign of violence against animals was brought to an end when one of his clips ended up on TikTok page Goose Shoot and police were called.
A warrant was granted and police raided Robb’s Leslie home, where his trophy recordings were seized.
Robb, 28, was brought from HMP Perth to admit 20 charges of injuring or killing animals in Fife – as well as assaulting a detective who came to arrest him – between August and November 2022.
Cat fight
On August 3, Robb caused a fight between one of his lurchers and a cat.
The cat was killed after being subjected to the 11-minute attack.
Footage, timestamped as beginning at 3.28am, starts with the cat in a tree and Robb commanding his dog to “score” while illuminating the pet with a spotlight.
The cat falls and both animals can be heard in pain as they fight.
The sick video – some of which was shown in court – ends at 3.39am when the cat is dead.
A vet who analysed the video suggested the cat may have gone into cardiac arrest or suffered a brain injury.
He said the cats eyes showed it had suffered haemorrhage bleeding and its breathing was likely down to “extreme stress.”
September strikes
On September 22, Robb hunted a roe deer with a dog in or near Leslie or Glenrothes.
The following day, he killed a rabbit and hunted roe deer using a dog.
A video file from around 9.45pm shows Robb using a spotlight to illuminate a deer and commanding his dog to “score”.
Another clip just before midnight shows lurcher Glen being commanded to hunt a rabbit and being praised for succeeding.
A photograph of a dead rabbit with the caption “this is the dog’s first run of the night” was recovered.
On September 29, he successfully hunted for brown hare with a dog and shot a heron with a catapult before, commanding his dog to attack it.
Double dog attack
During a late night trip to the Scotlandwell area near Loch Leven on October 1 into October 2, Robb hunted for roe deer.
Just after 11pm, Glen and Skye were filmed at the pathway next to the Glenrothes to Leslie viaduct.
A later clip showed the dogs in pursuit of a roe deer buck, which they attacked together.
Robb added the caption: “This dog would fight to the death.”
He sent a text just after midnight stating: “What a buck Skye just fought. F*** me.”
Robb took a photograph of himself holding the head and antlers of the deceased animal.
Another clip showed Robb praising Glen, whose muzzle was covered in blood.
A short graphic clip of the incident was shown in court.
More coursing
On October 6, he resumed his offending at a rural location between Scotlandwell, Milnathort, Cowdenbeath and Kelty, hunting for brown hare and roe deer.
He filmed Glen, narrating: “oh, oh, oh, good kill, good kill.”
A deer was captured on camera with graphic neck trauma visible.
It was footage from this trip which ended up on TikTok, leading to Robb’s arrest.
A clip from the same night shows Robb holding up two dead hares and a later one shows four dead hares in his garden.
Birds targeted
After a few days off, Robb while hunting a roe deer near Leslie, he used a dog and a powered spotlight to take a grey partridge.
Video showed Skye with the live gamebird in her jaws.
Further hare and deer were taken in subsequent days and near Glenrothes, he killed a wood pigeon using a catapult.
Sick Robb took video showing the trauma the bird suffered to its head.
On October 23, he hunted a rare Piebald deer somewhere between Glenrothes and Cowdenbeath and later in the month used a ferret to hunt rabbits and continued to kill brown hare with his lurchers.
Robb managed more bloodshed in November before being caught by police.
At 7.40am on November 5, in or near Leslie, he killed a seagull using a catapult.
Robb remarked: “This is how I’m Scotland’s number one. I’ve won all the catty shows. I don’t f*** about.”
Four days after that, he hunted a fox cub with a dog and a distressing clip was shown in court.
Arrested at last
Robb was finally arrested in his home at Patterson Cottages, Leslie, on the morning of November 17.
An examination of his phone showed a string of incriminating texts, including: “Don’t be showing anyone videos or nothing.
“I might end up in jail. I’ve not been caught yet but they’re going out to see a gamekeeper.
“I’m too paranoid to go back to jail for a f***ing silly daft roe or a hare course.”
“Irate” Robb, already in handcuffs, attacked a police officer.
After he was taken to Kirkcaldy police station, his home was searched.
Police found an iPhone headtorches and torches and a hunting knife.
Two lurchers were outside in a kennel and a fast food trailer in the rear garden was kitted out for keeping ferrets.
‘Reprehensible’ crimes
Prosecutor Sarah Noon explained Robb’s criminal record contains convictions for violence, disorder, domestic abuse, dishonesty, breach of bail, police assaults and sexual offending.
Solicitor David Cranston said: “He doesn’t know now where the dogs are.
“He anticipated he was going to be arrested and remanded about two years ago and made alternative arrangements for the dogs by someone involved in the hunting scene in England – a former friend of his.
“It’s fair to assume he won’t be released during the life cycle of these dogs, wherever they are.”
However, Ms Noon said prosecutors believed the dogs were in the care of Robb’s relatives.
Sheriff John MacRitchie deferred sentencing, saying: “These are particularly serious charges and by any stretch of the imagination, reprehensible.”
Robb is expected to be sentenced in June for child rape and faces a potential life sentence.
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