Brown defends cat electrocution stunt

Derren Brown has hit back at reports calling him a "cat killer".

The 37-year-old faced criticism from charity Cats Protection after he allegedly brainwashed a student into electrocuting a kitten.

On his Trick Or Treat show, the illusionist convinced a 19-year-old woman to hit a power button despite telling her it was wired to a metal box containing a cat.

Speaking to Metro, Brown defended the stunt, saying Cats Protection didn't get the point of the trick: "The cat was never electrocuted and the machine wasn't wired up, so maybe they've misunderstood what was going on."

When asked if he thought that he was glorifying violence to cats, he said: "That might be the message Cats Protection is trying to put out but I wasn’t glorifying cruelty to cats. People would have been hard-pressed to recreate the electrocution device at home even if they wanted to."

Brown added that he hoped the woman wouldn't get abuse for taking part in the stunt.

"She didn't want to do it, that was the point, we created a horrible conflict for her. If anyone gets abuse it should be me, not her," he said.

> Derren Brown stunt criticised by charity