A BRAINTREE dad has appeared in court charged with kidnapping his estranged wife's cat from her home in Kent.
Jonathan Brewster, 45, of Notley Road, appeared at Maidstone Magistrates' Court charged with taking ginger moggy, Marmie, from his wife Tracy Brewster's house in Barming, near Maidstone.
He denied the charge of "catnapping" at the hearing on September 29.
Since Marmie went missing on July 21, Mrs Brewster has mobilised an army of volunteers to search Kent and Essex for her beloved pet.
"I am brokenhearted and have been since the day he went missing. I will never stop searching for Marmie," she told the Chronicle.
"This will be endless for me, not knowing where my best friend is.
"I just want him back or some sort of closure."
Since Marmie, which is short for Marmalade, went missing, Mrs Brewster says she has been prescribed antidepressants, lost her job as a nanny and two stone in weight.
She says she is even prepared to sell her home to search for her beloved cat full-time.
"Marmalade had been the family pet for 13 years, my kids and parents are all really worried, I can't sleep at night because I can't bear to think about where he is," said 52-year-old Mrs Brewster, who has two grown-up children from a previous relationship.
"He's like a dog, he follows me around everywhere. He's been with me for 13 years and seen me through a lot of tough times.
"He could be in Kent, Essex or anywhere. There's nothing worse than this, not knowing where he is just awful. If I had a body I could put it to rest but with this there's no closure," added Mrs Brewster.
"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"However, I'll search everywhere, I won't stop until I feel I've exhausted every possibility."
A Facebook group called Find Marmie has over 2,600 likes and tweets about the campaign offering a £1,100 reward for information have been supported by author Pam Ayres, Made In Chelsea star Lucy Watson and a number of soap stars.
The group marched through Maidstone town centre last Wednesday to raise awareness of the search and plan to head to Essex should Marmie remain missing.
Jonathan Brewster says he has had death threats and tried to get his address withheld in court – a request that was turned down by magistrates.
He will now face a trial at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court in January.
