A British crocodile expert and zoologist who worked for the BBC have pleaded to rape and torturing dogs and pups at his animal shelter after luring owners to give him custody of their canines.
Adam Britton, 51, born in West Yorkshire before moving to Australia, began offending as early as 2014 and sexually exploited more than 42 dogs he called “f*** toys.”
Britton was arrested in April 2022.
The former BBC Zoologist was an academic at Charles Darwin University in northern Australia and once hosted broadcaster David Attenborough at his home.
Britton tortured 39 of those dogs to death in one of Australia’s worst cases of animal cruelty.
The married zoologist sexually abused his own Swiss shepherd dogs for almost a decade before expanding to Gumtree, Australia, to source more dogs to satisfy his sadistic needs.
The court heard that Britton would even film himself hurting the defenseless dogs in what he called his ‘torture room’ – a shipping container fitted with video cameras.
The zoologist, who had worked with the BBC and National Geographic on productions, stood calm as he pleaded guilty to 56 counts of animal cruelty against the dogs at the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory on Monday.
He also pleaded guilty to four counts of accessing and transmitting child abuse material.
Chief Justice Michael Grant urged the public and security staff to “leave the room” as he detailed Britton’s crimes because they were so horrific.
“These facts contain material that can only be described as grotesque and perverse acts of cruelty which is confronting and distressing and which in my assessment have the potential to cause nervous shock,” he said.
Much of Britton’s acts were so horrific they have not been published.
Prosecutors told the court how the former BBC zoologist, who hosted Attenborough while the broadcaster filmed part of the BBC’s Life in Cold Blood docuseries, has had a ‘”sadistic sexual interest” in animals, in particular dogs, since at least 2014.
Britton’s wife, Erin, a wildlife ranger who once helped Prince Harry catch a saltwater crocodile, was unaware of her husband’s disturbing fantasies.
The court heard that Britton would use Gumtree Australia to target pet owners, who would give him their pets due to work or travel commitments, the court heard.
Britton would build a ‘rapport’ with the unsuspecting owners before taking the dogs.
If pet owners asked Britton for updates on their old pets, he would spin a ‘false narrative’ to say they were healthy and send them old photos.
The BBC Zoologist sent one message to the owners of a large brown dog to reassure them the animal was ‘settling in well.’
“Wolfe was relaxed and eating well and enjoying her new home,” the message wrote.
However, unbeknownst to the previous owners, the dog had already been ‘sexually exploited, tortured and killed,’ Mr Aust said.
Prosecutors told the court Britton used one Telegram account to engage with ‘like-minded people’ and used to disseminate images and recordings of the abuse, the Daily Mail reported.
“Using these applications, the offender discussed his ‘kill count,'” prosecutor Marty Aust said.
Britton spoke about his urges to a stranger on Telegram:
“I had repressed it. In the last few years, I let it out again, and now I can’t stop. I don’t want to.”
Britton boasted that he would tell pet owners that his old dog had died of cancer and he wanted a ‘new family member.
“Owner is looking for a good ‘forever home’ for their beloved pooch, make sure you offer them one … telling them you want a new family member after your old dog died from cancer last year hardly ever fails,” Britton posted in the Monster Telegram account.
A video was eventually sent to the Northern Territory Animal Welfare Branch before being passed to police, who arrested Britton in April 2022
Police seized 44 items, including computers, mobile telephones, cameras, external hard drives, tools, weapons and sex toys.
READ: BBC Accused of ‘Covering Up’ Child Sex Abuse for Top Presenter
