Dog rapist and abuser is brought to tears in court as he faces sentencing on shocking charges related to adopted pets

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT

A disgraced crocodile expert who filmed himself brutally raping and torturing dozens of pet dogs became emotional when his mental illness was mentioned in court on Thursday, prompting a security guard to hand him a box of tissues.

Adam Britton, 53, who grew up in West Yorkshire before emigrating to Australia, admitted 63 charges related to animal cruelty, zoophilia and possession of child exploitation material in the Supreme Court in Darwin last year.

According to court documents, the once respected scientist searched for around 42 dogs on Gumtree Australia over a period of two years with the sole aim of torturing the animals to death on camera.

Britton, who previously worked for the BBC and National Geographic, cared for dogs belonging to families who had to give up their pets for work or health reasons. He once described seeing children cry when he took away their beloved pets.

The former Charles Darwin academic, who once hosted David Attenborough in his home, appeared in court today for sentencing wearing a beige shirt as local pet owners and a member of his ex-wife’s family watched from the public gallery.

Outside the court, a local man held a sign that read: “Death penalty for Adam Britton.” Another sign read: “Raper, torturer, murderer.”

The married zoologist, who published gruesome footage of animal cruelty on his Telegram channel under the pseudonym “Monster,” managed to keep his crazy double life a secret from his wife Erin for years.

Erin, a gamekeeper and biologist who once met Prince Harry and helped him catch a crocodile, has reportedly since changed her name. There is no indication that Erin knew anything about her husband’s gruesome crimes.

The court heard on Thursday that Britton suffers from “paraphilia” – a disorder defined by recurrent and intense sexual fantasies, urges or behaviours that are distressing or disabling and involve inanimate objects, children or adults without their consent.

He had 30 sessions with a psychologist and expressed remorse for his actions.

When his condition was mentioned, he sniffled and was handed a box of tissues. Then Britton wiped a tear from under his glasses.

The case was adjourned pending a psychiatric report and will return to court on August 8.

Britton’s 2.5-hectare property on McMinns Lagoon, southeast of Darwin, is for sale and is touted as an architecturally designed family home with a resort-style swimming pool.

“Peace in the bush,” read the online ad.

Last week, a local resident 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 female dog wearing an orange City of Darwin leash with the slogan “Great pets start with you” in one of his online videos.

This clue helped authorities find out who had adopted the dog: Britton.

Prosecutors had previously informed the court that he had a Telegram account that was used to communicate with “like-minded people” and another that was used to distribute images and recordings of the abuse.

“The perpetrator used these applications to discuss his kill rate,” the prosecutor explained in court.

His account contained 114 threads in which he described how he got the pets and how he mistreated them.

Britton found other dogs from unsuspecting owners in the Darwin area through Gumtree Australia.

The court had previously heard that he had built a relationship of trust with owners and negotiated to take over care of their pets, as many of them were reluctant to give up their animals due to travel or work commitments.

In one case, Britton messaged the owners of a large brown dog to reassure them that the animal was “settling in well.”

The prosecutor told the court that the dog Wolfe had already been “sexually exploited, tortured and killed.”

Following his arrest in 2022, police raided his home and seized 44 items, including computers, cell phones, cameras, external hard drives, tools and weapons. They also found 15 files containing child abuse material on his laptop.

Before the police investigation, Britton was known as a well-known crocodile expert in northern Australia and a senior researcher at Charles Darwin University.

Throughout his career, he hosted Mr Attenborough during the filming of the BBC documentary series In Cold Blood.

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