A British academic and crocodile expert has pleaded guilty to 56 charges, including rape, torture, and the deaths of over forty dogs.
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Adam Britton, 51, had tortured more than 42 dogs before his arrest in April 2022, according to Australian news outlets.
The zoologist appeared in the Northern Territory Supreme Court on Monday, where he admitted to the charges and also pleaded guilty to four charges of accessing and transmitting child abuse material.
Chief Justice Michael Grant said the crimes, which resulted in the death of 39 dogs, “could only be described as grotesque cruelty” and urged the public, security staff, and reporters to leave the courtroom before the detailed charges were read by the prosecutor.
The court heard that Britton had a “sadistic sexual interest” in animals, particularly dogs. In addition to torturing his own dogs, he also acquired animals from unsuspecting owners in the Darwin region of Australia.
“He often developed a relationship with the owners of the dogs when negotiating custody of their animals, many of whom reluctantly surrendered their pets due to travel or work commitments,” prosecutor Marty Aust told the court.
The prosecution stated that Britton had a container on his property with filming equipment and used the space “to torture, sexually abuse, and kill dogs.” He shared videos and images of himself sexually exploiting dogs on online forums under pseudonyms.
One clip was sent to the Northern Territory Animal Welfare Department and forwarded to the police. Police seized 44 items, including computers, cell phones, cameras, external hard drives, tools, weapons, dog equipment, and sex toys, according to ABC News.
Britton was a senior researcher at Charles Darwin University and had also worked on BBC and National Geographic productions. Britton will remain in custody until December 13, when he will be sentenced.
