Blood-drinking ‘vampire’ animal killer terrorised our village with severed heads & creepy occult rituals

A SELF-PROCLAIMED vampire slaughtered animals and scattered their remains around a village in a seven-month reign of terror. Married dad Benjamin Lewis – who believed he would never die if he drank blood – terrorised villagers by dumping “maimed and disfigured” carcasses everywhere. Benjamin Lewis outside Southampton Crown Court, Hampshire, in 2003 Credit: Solent Lewis, who police say believes he is a ‘reincarnated vampire’ Credit: Facebook The married dad pictured with an Ouija board Credit: Facebook A deer head placed on a stone with the wooden cross beneath in May 2024 Credit: Solent Dead deer and lambs were left in and around churches and tied to flagpoles in the New Forest, Hampshire, prompting fears of satanism. The twisted 48-year-old – who was in a cult – was obsessed with vampires and satanism, with a collection of Twilight books discovered at his home. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! He injured animals as a child but this rapidly escalated to murdering and disfiguring lambs and deer. A psychiatrist said he feared Lewis could even go on to harm humans after the animal-killer tried to attack him on a visit. Speaking to The Sun, terrorised locals described life in the shadow of his twisted activities at the satanism hotspot as “ghastly” and “horrific”. Lewis stole lambs from two small Hampshire farms in the dead of night, cut their throats and dumped their bodies at four churches. A collection of supernatural books found at his home Credit: Solent Writings and poems by Benjamin Lewis, focusing on the occult, vampires and blood Credit: Solent He was in court for ‘howling’ at a vicar in 2003 Credit: Facebook Staff at the occult shop A Coven of Witches, in Burley, said Lewis would browse for supplies Credit: Solent Sarah Harrison was left heartbroken after sheep were stolen from Parsonage Farm in the tiny village of Bramshaw. Tiny lambs that were just days old, costing £180 each, had their necks cut and then hung from a flagpole at St Peter’s Church. Most read in The Sun She said: “It was horrific, what he did. I don’t want to talk too much about it, I just want to be done with it, but it was awful. “It wasn’t about the cost for me though, it was the lives of those poor lambs, it was horrible.” She said she was scared to walk alone at night and had thought about leaving the New Forest, though her family had lived there for generations. “I’m wondering what will it be next. When I hear a sound outside I think is that him.” Cops carried out surveillance on religious sites on significant dates in the satanic calendar as they tried to trap Lewis. Mixed animal blood was found in his car when he was arrested. A decapitated deer’s head outside St Theresa’s Church in Totton, 2025 Credit: Solent A lamb dumped in the New Forest, left hanging from a signpost Credit: Solent Officers found satanic symbols, ritual notes and sick poems when they raided his home. There were also drawings of vampires and “concerning books about vampires and how best to kill humans”. A suitcase containing crosses and pictures of “people cutting and sucking blood from each other” were also discovered. During a court appearance, Lewis, from Southampton, answered “Count Dracula” when asked to identify himself. The court heard he dumped a headless deer at Christ Church, Emery Down, in February 2025. Two weeks later he put the head in the pulpit on top of a cross. He also put a deer head on the gates at Anchor House, where he was receiving psychiatric treatment. “Count Dracula” also put a dead lamb up a flagpole with a tarot card next to it. Another deer’s head “crawling with maggots” was horrifically discovered on a pew. A second lamb was put on a tree stump with an inverted stone cross next to it at Christ’s Church in Colbury. Roger Sloley, 87, said St Peter’s Church in Bramshaw wanted to get CCTV Credit: Solent A poem found at the animal-killer’s house Credit: Solent The court was told Lewis left a dead frog on a cross in church at just 13 years old. The animal carcasses were found at Anchor House, Christ Church in Colbury, St Peter’s Church in Bramshaw, St Theresa’s Church in Totton and Christ Church in Emery Down – with “distressed” kids stumbling upon the bodies. The New Forest is famous for witchcraft, satanism and all things occult. The beauty spot’s village of Burley even housed a supposed white witch named Sybil Leek. Lewis – who called himself “Count Dracula” in court – was first arrested in 2003 for terrorising a vicar and his family in the area. He was locked up after pretending to be a vampire, making abusive phone calls and posting obscene pictures on the church noticeboard. The 48-year-old was part of a group making howling noises from a graveyard near the vicarage. Southampton Crown Court heard Lewis believed drinking blood would prolong his life. He believed that if he drank enough blood, he wouldn’t go to hell and would become a vampire instead. But his vile antics left locals so terrified they stopped going to church – including a mum who was too scared to visit her son’s grave. The village of Burley, in the New Forest, was terrorised by the ‘vampire’ Credit: Solent Lambs were stolen from Parsonage Farm in the dead of night Credit: Solent Roger Sloley, 87, is a retired schoolteacher who has been visiting St Peter’s Church in Bramshaw every Sunday for 40 years. He is also on the church committee, and said they considered getting CCTV for the church because of the “horrible crimes”. He said: “It’s clear he’s obviously a nutjob. What he did was horrible. “He stole sheep from the farm just up the road – I feel bad for the farmer. “The church committee were thinking of getting CCTV. In the end we couldn’t afford it but they were scared. “It wasn’t the only time something like that happened in the church. We also had loads of gravestones broken and knocked over. The church seems to attract it. “I don’t know why he did it but it was ghastly.” There are a number of occult-themed shops in the area – which Lewis used to frequent. A member of staff at The Coven of Witches, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that he used to come in and buy strange paraphernalia for his rituals. She said: “He used to come in here quite a lot. He would always wear a long black trench coat. “He actually seemed pretty normal – you wouldn’t think anything of it – but it’s a bit weird to think that he came in here. “He would buy candles and things, I suppose to use for whatever he was doing.” Another member of staff added: “We don’t even sell ouija boards here. “We’re all about crystals and healing.” Lewis believed drinking blood would mean he would never die Credit: PA There are a number of occult-themed shops in the area – which Lewis used to frequent Credit: Solent Lewis was given an indefinite hospitalisation order at Southampton Crown Court, Hampshire, on August 4. He pleaded guilty to stealing lambs on two occasions and admitted five charges of religiously aggravated harassment from February to August in 2025. Psychiatrist Dr Gauruv Malhan told the court Lewis had autism and personality disorders, and saw himself as belonging to a vampire cult. Over the years, a spate of killings and chilling iconography has sparked suspicion among some that a Satanic cult was operating in the New Forest. A black cat with a gouged-out eye was strung up on a flag pole at St Peter’s Church in Bramshaw. ‘666’, the number of the Devil, and a pentagram were also graffitied on the historic building during the un-Godly attack. The pentagram is a five-sided star used in Pagan religions but an inverse version is known as the Sigil of Baphomet, Satanism’s motif – they also use an inverse crucifix. In 2020, sheep were discovered skewered by spears, faces spray painted with Satanic symbols, lying next to a upside down crucifix made of hay. Police investigating the 2019 killings in Cadnam and Bradshaw brought in the Pagan Police Association to unravel the mystery. A 41-year-old man from Winchester was arrested but later released.