A crocodile expert who raped, tortured and killed dozens of dogs has two mysterious supporters who frequently visit him in prison.
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.
The once-respected academic, who was born in the UK and worked for the BBC and National Geographic, tracked down some 42 dogs on Gumtree Australia over a two-year period with the sole purpose of torturing the animals to death on camera.
She contacted families who were reluctantly giving up their dogs due to work or health issues, then sent fake updates to reassure former owners that their pets were “happy” and “doing well.”
According to court documents, the pets were usually already dead by the time these updates were sent. Most of the dogs she acquired were horribly abused and killed within days of acquiring them.
Last week, Britton shed a tear when her psychiatric condition called “paraphelia” — intense sexual fantasies or behaviors involving inanimate objects, children or non-consenting adults — was mentioned in court.
A security guard handed him a box of tissues.
Most of his former partners and his ex-wife Erin, who formally dropped her surname just two months after his arrest in 2022, have cut ties with the disgraced zoologist, but it can now be revealed there are some exceptions.
Adam Britton (pictured) is a crocodile expert who pleaded guilty to 63 charges relating to animal cruelty, bestiality and possession of child exploitation material.
Adam Britton (pictured with his wife) was married for about 15 years. She formally dropped her last name two months after he was charged.
A man and a woman are known to have visited Britton in his cell at Darwin Correctional Centre.
Daily Mail Australia understands that Britton has been known for a long time and believes he can be rehabilitated.
In court last week, his lawyer – who asked not to be named because of continued abuse and threats from members of the public – said his client was “not a psychopath” and had previously demonstrated an ability to control his impulses.
Telegram messages from Britton’s phone, previously revealed by Daily Mail Australia, show he had “sadistic” impulses from childhood but repressed them until around 2020, when he realised he enjoyed torturing and killing dogs.
His lawyer said: “If he could control it in the past, he can control it in the future.”
‘This is a human being who has been afflicted from a very young age… it’s not his fault that he had that.
“This particular condition is exceptionally taboo in most societies and the court can, and I hope will, accept that it would have been a very difficult thing to endure in childhood and to learn to manage in adulthood.”
She acknowledged that Britton could have sought treatment for his condition, rather than acted out his fantasies, but had managed to “keep it in a little box” in the back of his head and tried not to think about it for many years.
Adam Britton (centre) with his wife Erin (left) and David Attenborough (right) during the filming of a BBC documentary Cold Blood
Pictured: A mockup of a Telegram conversation Britton had with a like-minded user, discussing his sadistic impulses.
The court also heard that Britton had spent nearly 30 hours with a psychologist in jail and had come to feel remorse for his crimes.
“Remorse is considered evidence of rehabilitation prospects, as is insight,” his lawyer said.
‘These are things that may not be present the first time someone talks to someone in a professional setting.
“These are things that often evolve with treatment. They are not set in stone.”
However, Crown prosecutor Marty Aust said the videos of Britton abusing dogs were particularly concerning because they showed the “deep-seated enjoyment” he derived from the act.
“If you look at the pictures, you’ll see the extreme pleasure and enjoyment this man had in creating this and performing these acts,” he said.
‘His sheer delight gets to the heart of the matter.
“It’s hard to read, it’s hard to hear, but actually seeing it is something different.”
He said Britton’s routine animal abuse required “significant planning” and became a “production, with multiple cameras, tripods, various recording equipment, production values and editing.”
Mr Aust asked for the maximum sentence of two years in prison for each offence involving torture and death.
Adam Britton was living a solitary life in Darwin before his arrest in 2022. His wife knew nothing about his crime.
“We’re certainly not asking for 78 years, but really two years for each of those crimes is fair,” he told the court.
The matter was adjourned pending a psychiatric report and will return to court on August 8.
Britton grew up in England and received his PhD in Zoology from the University of Bristol before moving to Australia after 1996 to pursue his fascination with crocodiles.
He met his future wife and they set up a consultancy company, Big Gecko, selling images of crocodiles to film and television directors. They worked on natural history programmes for the BBC and National Geographic.
His saltwater crocodile, Smaug, became something of a celebrity in his field and appeared in two horror films.
Britton and Erin also hosted Sir David Attenborough while he was filming the BBC documentary series Life in Cold Blood.
She was a biologist and park ranger who collaborated on various projects on sea turtles and crocodile counting.
They were married for about 15 years, but she was often away on business and there is no suggestion she knew about his dark secret.
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