Ogbonge British animal expert dey go jail for sexually abusing dogs

Adam Britton

Wia dis foto come from, ABC News

Wetin we call dis foto, Adam Britton na one of di world's leading researchers on crocodile
    • Author, Tiffanie Turnbull
    • Role, BBC News, Sydney
    • Reporting from, BBC News, Sydney
  • Read am in 4 mins

One ogbonge British crocodile expert dey go jail for 10 years and five months for Australia.

Dis na afta im admit say e dey sexually abuse dogs, dis case put fear for pipo bodi for di kontri.

Warning: Dis tori contain details of wickedness to animals wey fit disturb you

Adam Britton, na leading zoologist [pesin wey specialise on animals] wey bin don work on BBC and National Geographic productions.

Im plead guilty to 56 charges wey relate to bestiality and animal cruelty [wickedness]

Im also admit to anoda four counts of accessing materials of child abuse.

Di Northern Territory (NT) Supreme Court bin hear say di 53-year-old feem imsef wen e dey torture di animals until almost all of dem die. Im come share di videos online under pseudonyms [fake identities]

Pipo no notice im abuse on animals for years, until dem find a clue for one of im videos.

Authorities arrest Britton for April 2022 afta dem search im rural Darwin property, wey also uncover child abuse material for im laptop.

Plenti details of di crimes wey Britton commit too dey graphic to publish, and so wen di judge wan watch "di ugly and distorted video' sometimes di judge go warn pipo to comot from di courtroom.

"Your moral corruption fall outside any ordinary human conception," Chief Justice Michael Grant tell Britton, according to di Australian Associated Press.

Including time already served, Britton fit dey eligible for parole for April 2028. Dem don also ban am from owning any mammal for di rest of im life.

Mr Britton lawyer argue say im offence na sake of a rare disorder wey dey cause serious, extra-ordinary sexual interests.

Di abuse happun for decades

Dem born Britton for West Yorkshire, and im grow up for di UK bifor im move to Australia more dan 20 years ago to work with crocodiles.

With a PhD in zoology, im don build ogbonge global reputation for im expertise, im bin don even host Sir David Attenborough while di veteran broadcaster bin feem part of di Life in Cold Blood documentary series for im property.

Locals don tell tori pipo say im look like a quiet but passionate defender of animals.

But im bin dey get "sadistic sexual interest" for di animals, according to court documents.

Exchanges [discussions] wey im bin dey get with "like-minded" pipo for secret online chatrooms show details of how Britton start to dey molest horses wen im be 13 years.

"I bin dey sadistic as a child to animals, but I bin don dey suppress am. For di last few years I let am out again, and now I no fit stop. I no wan stop," na wetin im bin write for one message wey dem tender for court.

For at least di past decade, Britton bin dey exploit im own pets and manipulate oda dog owners to give am dia own.

"My own dogs be like family and I get limits," im explain for one Telegram chat wey dem enter as evidence.

"I dey only fit mistreat oda dogs badly... I no get any emotional bond to dem, dem be toys pure and simple. And [dem dey] plenti well well from wia dem dey come from."

How many animals im torture?

Im bin torture at least 42 dogs, and im kill 39 of dem, according to court documents wey di BBC see.

Di files only detail im crimes ova di 18 months bifor dem arrest am, but e still fill more dan 90 pages.

Im dey use online marketplace Gumtree Australia, Britton go find pipo wey dey reluctantly give dia pets away evritime becos dem wan to travel or sake of work commitments.

Im go build a "rapport" with dem to negotiate how im go take custody of di animals and if dem reach out for updates about dia pets, di court hear say im go tell dem "fake stories" and send dem old photos.

For reality, im bin dey abuse di animals for one shipping container for im property wey dey outside and also get recording equipment - im call di place im "torture room" - bifor im go share footage of im crimes online with fake names and nick names.

Britton bin dey also coach oda pipo on how to copy im behaviour and how to destroy evidence.

Wen dem ask am how im dey throw way di deadibody of di dogs, Britton - wey don share im property on di outskirts of Darwin with eight crocodiles - say "Im dey feed some of di deadibody of di dogs to oda animals".

Na afta im upload one video clip dem catch am, for di video e bin torture at least eight dogs - all of dem except one na puppy [small dog] - wey dem bin pass on to NT police, na anonymous pesin give dem a tip-off.

Britton bin dey usually go extra great lengths to avoid anywia e go identify imsef, im location for im videos, but for dis one, dem see a bright orange City of Darwin dog leash for di background.

Within weeks, for April 2022, police enta im property and arrest Britton, wey don dey dia custody since den.

Dem bin seize recording devices, animal deadibody and a laptop wia dem also locate

15 files wey contain child abuse material.