WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT
A disgraced crocodile expert who filmed himself brutally raping and torturing dozens of pet dogs became emotional when his psychiatric condition was mentioned in court on Thursday, prompting a security guard to hand him a box of tissues.
Adam Britton, 53, pleaded guilty in Darwin’s Supreme Court last year to 63 charges relating to animal cruelty, bestiality and possession of child exploitation material.
According to court documents, the once-respected academic tracked down around 42 dogs on Gumtree Australia over a two-year period with the sole purpose of torturing the animals to death on camera.
Britton would take in dogs from families who were forced to abandon their pets due to work or health issues, and once described seeing children crying as he took their beloved pets away.
He appeared in court for sentencing on Thursday morning wearing a beige shirt, as local pet owners and a member of his ex-wife’s family watched from the public gallery.
Outside the courthouse, a neighbor held a sign that read: “Death penalty for Adam Britton.” Another sign read: “Rapist, torturer, murderer.”
Before his disturbing habits were discovered, Britton (pictured during an interview with Triple J) was a highly respected zoologist and crocodile expert.
Adam Britton (centre) with his wife Erin (left) and David Attenborough (right) during the filming of a BBC documentary Cold Blood
Britton not only tortured and sexually abused his own pets Ursa and Bolt (pictured together), for whom he created an Instagram page, but also the dogs of pet owners he had lured into his trap through online marketplace platform Gumtree Australia.
The court heard Britton was affected by ‘paraphilia’, defined as intense and recurrent sexual fantasies, urges or behaviours that are distressing or disabling and involve inanimate objects, children or non-consenting adults.
He has had 30 sessions with a psychologist and has expressed regret for his actions.
When told of her condition, she sobbed and was given a box of tissues. Britton wiped a tear from beneath her glasses.
The matter was adjourned pending a psychiatric report and will return to court on August 8.
Britton’s 2.5-acre property at McMinns Lagoon, southeast of Darwin, is for sale and is being marketed as an architecturally designed family home with a resort-style pool.
“Tranquility in the woods,” the online ad said.
Last week, a neighbor spray-painted the words “dog killer” on the street in front of the property.
Britton was arrested in April 2022 after an anonymous internet user noticed a dog in one of his online videos wearing an orange City of Darwin leash with the slogan: “Great pets start with you.”
Using the clue, they were able to track down who had adopted the dog.
Prosecutors previously told the court that there were a Telegram account that was used to interact with ‘like-minded people’ and another that was used to spread images and recordings of the abuse.
Pictured: A woman calls for Adam Britton to be sentenced to death outside the Supreme Court in Darwin on Thursday
An angry neighbour wrote “dog killer” outside Adam Britton’s home last week after his house was put up for sale.
Dog rapist Adam Britton’s (pictured) estate has gone up for sale for $790,000
“Using these applications, the attacker analysed his ‘kill count’,” the prosecutor explained to the court.
Her account had 114 threads describing how she acquired the pets and how she abused them.
Britton obtained other dogs from Gumtree Australia from unsuspecting owners in the Darwin region.
The court previously heard that he built a relationship with the owners and negotiated custody of their pets, many of whom reluctantly gave up their pets due to travel or work commitments.
In one scenario, Britton sent a message to the owners of a large brown dog to reassure them that the animal was “adjusting well.”
The prosecutor explained to the court that Wolfe the dog had already been “sexually exploited, tortured and killed.”
Following his arrest in 2022, police seized 44 items including computers, mobile phones, cameras, external hard drives, tools and weapons during a raid at his home.
They also found 15 files containing child abuse material on his laptop.
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