Report: British zoologist sentenced to 249 years in prison for raping, torturing and killing dogs

Adam Britton (53), a researcher at Charles Darwin University and British crocodile expert, recently cried in an Australian court when he was sentenced to 249 years in prison for rape, torture and killing of dogs as well as other cases of child sexual abuse.

Britton confessed to 60 charges, including animal cruelty and “sodomy” The mirror reported.

These were carried out by the accused last year in a shipping container near his home in Darwin.

Britton apparently recorded videos while he tortured, sexually abused and killed dogs. He often took the videos from pet owners who could not afford to care for the dogs.

Britton was born in West Yorkshire and has a degree in zoology from the University of Leeds and a PhD from the University of Bristol.

He also worked at one of the crocodile sanctuaries – Big Gecko in Australia – where he recorded his videos with wild animals. He sold these recordings to BBC And National Geographic and post them on social media too.

The defendant posted videos of his heinous and inhumane acts against animals on Telegram and is said to have captioned one of his posts: “I had repressed it. In the last few years I let it out again and now I can’t stop. I don’t want to.”

Britton’s crimes against animals came to light when an online detective happened upon the videos and informed the police.

Police searched Britton’s Darwin residence and seized 44 items of equipment and tools. Child abuse material was also found on his computer. Last year he was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty, four counts of possession and distribution of child abuse material and 37 counts of “aggravated animal cruelty”.

Presiding Judge Grant, who heard Britton’s case, noted that the details were “confronting and disturbing” as he dismissed the police officers from the courtroom. The judge is reported to have explained that those who “listened to these (details) may have negative psychological reactions.”

However, Britton’s representatives were quoted by Live from Leeds, He claims that he suffered from paraphilia between 2022 and 2024, when he committed the above acts. Paraphilia is said to be a condition in which a person has intense sexual fantasies about objects, places, or situations that are considered atypical.

The Australian court adjourned the case pending a psychiatric report; the hearing will resume on August 8.

Between 2022 and 2024, Britton is said to have obtained 42 dogs from Gumtree, an Australian free marketplace. He even mistreated his two white Swiss Shepherd dogs, Ursa and Bolt – whose pictures Britton shared on social media.

The media outlet also quoted him as saying that he once saw children crying as he left with their dogs. All of these animals were tortured, raped or killed at the shipping container that is allegedly anchored on his Darwin property.