Renowned zoologist Adam Britton has admitted 60 heinous crimes involving the rape, torture and murder of dogs. The 53-year-old now faces up to 249 years in prison in Australia.
Britain’s leading crocodile expert has admitted allegations of animal sexual abuse and bestiality made against him in Australia in September last year.
As details of her disturbing actions emerged, her case shocked and outraged both animal rights activists and the public.
Britton admitted to engaging in “zoo-sadism” and in numerous online messages submitted to the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, he mentored others on how to carry out similar acts of abuse.
When Britton appeared in court recently for his criminal trial, the court was told he suffers from a psychiatric disorder called paraphilia.
Who is Adam Britton?
Born Adam Robert Corden Britton in 1972, he graduated from Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in 1987 and received an honors degree in Zoology from the University of Leeds in 1992.
Britton completed his PhD in Zoology at the University of Bristol in 1996.
That same year, he moved to Australia and met his future wife, Erin, a wildlife ranger and biologist. The couple founded a consultancy company specializing in wild crocodiles.
Britton has gained international recognition as a crocodile expert and has collaborated with notable figures such as David Attenborough and contributed to documentaries and educational programmes for the BBC and National Geographic.
He worked as a research assistant at Charles Darwin University in Darwin, Australia, and appeared on the Discovery Channel’s “Animal Face-Off” program, further establishing his reputation as a leading authority on crocodiles.
After confessing to raping, torturing and killing dogs, his career was overshadowed by his criminal activities in a shipping container known as the “torture chamber.”
What are the accusations against him?
An Australian court was told Britton found rescue dogs on online classifieds site Gumtree Australia and offered to find them a new home on his large property near Darwin.
He reportedly filmed himself torturing animals and posted the videos on online platforms using the aliases “The Beast” and “Cerberus”. He also allegedly accessed child abuse material on these platforms.
Their disturbing behavior led to the deaths of 39 dogs.
He also pleaded guilty to a charge of accessing and transmitting child abuse material.
“I was talking to someone else about why I love hurting dogs,” she wrote in a secret chat group. “I wasn’t sure at first but now I live for it. I can’t stop myself from hurting dogs.”
“I was sadistic towards animals as a child, but I suppressed it. In the last few years I’ve let it out again, and I can’t stop now. I don’t want to stop.”
He also added a smiley face.
Australian authorities were alerted to Britton’s activities by an anonymous caller. They subsequently launched “Operation Traitor”, which resulted in a search warrant for Britton’s home at McMinns Lagoon on the outskirts of Darwin. During the investigation, law enforcement uncovered disturbing images taken by Britton that revealed acts of animal cruelty.
He was arrested in April 2022.
Britton’s lawyer — who chose to remain anonymous because of the threats they have received to subdue Britton — recently filed a new report with the court about the zoologist’s “paraphilia,” a psychological term used to describe a condition characterized by intense sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors involving atypical objects, situations or individuals.
What happened at the last hearing?
During the hearing on Thursday, Britton’s lawyer reportedly told the court that he had a “paraphilia” disorder which had led to the court being adjourned.
Before the hearing began, Northern Territory Supreme Court Justice Michael Grant asked his staff and animal rights activists to vacate the room because of the horrific acts committed by Britton.
“This is a person who has suffered from a disorder since very early childhood,” Britton’s attorney said. “It’s not his fault he has this disorder.”
“This particular situation is exceptionally taboo in most societies and the court can and I hope will accept that this is a very difficult thing to deal with and manage in adulthood.”
Crown prosecutor Marty Aust said Britton took “deep-rooted pleasure” from his perverse sexual interest in animals.
“There was significant planning, amounting to quite a large production with numerous cameras, tripods, various recording equipment, production values, editing,” he told the court.
“If you watch this footage, you’ll see the extreme pleasure and enjoyment that this man had in creating this and doing these actions. His pure pleasure goes to the core of it… it’s hard to read, it’s hard to hear, but it’s something else to see.”
Mr Aust said that “like any person with a particular sexual interest”, Britton “was able to rationally decide whether or not to act on that interest”.
“He did that and then, at the instigation and encouragement of other like-minded individuals, committed a crime of almost indescribable significance,” he said.
Mr Aust said even if Britton’s condition was treatable, “there was a constant risk of recurrence”.
At a hearing earlier this year, Judge Grant had doubted whether any psychiatric evidence could diminish Britton’s moral responsibility for his actions.
“A serial killer cannot, for example, say, ‘My moral culpability is diminished because I suffer from psychopathy,'” he said in February. “I don’t see where the evidence goes here.”
British crocodile expert, Zoologist Adam Britton @adambritton He faces up to 249 years in prison for raping and killing more than 60 dogs.
He was diagnosed with a condition called paraphilia, which is characterized by abnormal sexual desires that include excessive or dangerous activities. DISEASE! pic.twitter.com/8VMQRghWFp— Kaveri 🇮🇳 (@ikaveri) July 15, 2024
Reaction to accusations against Britton
Britton’s sentence was postponed for a third time after his lawyer submitted a new report to the judge. He is due back in court next month.
Former Northern Territory MP Ross Bohlin said the suspended sentence was “an abuse of the judicial process”.
“It would be nice to think that today marks the end of this psychopathic level of abuse. Unfortunately, delay will only perpetuate the pain,” he said.
Animal rights activists recently protested outside the courthouse, holding signs demanding justice, including calls for the death penalty and “justice for the innocent victims of Adam Britton.”
“Animals need to be punished so that people don’t think they are something that can be exploited and abused,” one protester said.
Protester tells ABC they understand the death penalty ‘won’t happen’, “But it would be my personal choice to go to prison forever.”