Renowned British crocodile expert Adam Britton has been sentenced to 10 years and five months in Australia after admitting to sexually abusing dozens of dogs, a case that has shocked the nation.
Britton, a leading zoologist featured on BBC and National Geographic, pleaded guilty to 56 charges of bestiality and animal cruelty, along with four counts of accessing child abuse material. The 53-year-old filmed himself torturing the animals, resulting in the deaths of nearly all, and shared the videos online under pseudonyms.
Britton’s abuse remained undetected for years until a clue in one of his videos led to his arrest in April 2022. A search of his rural Darwin property uncovered child abuse material on his laptop. The Northern Territory (NT) Supreme Court heard details of his crimes, which were so graphic that the judge warned attendees to leave the courtroom at times. “Your depravity falls outside any ordinary human conception,” Chief Justice Michael Grant stated.
Including time served, Britton could be eligible for parole in April 2028 and is banned from owning any mammals for life. His lawyer argued that Britton’s actions were driven by a rare disorder causing intense, atypical sexual interests.
Britton, originally from West Yorkshire, moved to Australia over 20 years ago to work with crocodiles. Despite his global reputation and a PhD in zoology, court documents revealed his “sadistic sexual interest” in animals, which he had harbored since childhood. For at least the past decade, Britton exploited his own pets and manipulated others into giving him their dogs.
Using Gumtree Australia, Britton found people reluctantly giving away their pets and built a rapport to take custody of the animals. He then abused them in a shipping container on his property, fitted with recording equipment, which he called his “torture room.” Britton shared footage of his crimes online and coached others on how to emulate his behavior.
Britton was finally caught after uploading a video torturing at least eight dogs, which an anonymous tipster forwarded to NT police. In the video, a bright orange City of Darwin dog leash was visible, leading to his arrest. Police seized recording devices, animal remains, and a laptop containing child abuse material during their search of his property.
NNEOMA UDENSI
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