Zoologist Adam Britton, who raped and killed dogs, jailed for over 10 years

British crocodile expert Adam Britton has been jailed for 10 years and five months in Australia for sexually abusing dogs. He has been accused of raping and torturing over 40 dogs. He is a zoologist and has worked on several productions for BBC and National Geographic. He had pleaded guilty to 56 charges linked to bestiality and animal cruelty. Britton might likely be eligible for parole in April 2028. He cannot own any mammals for the rest of his life.

Britton committed his horrific acts between the years of 2020 and 2022, causing the death of 39 dogs. His case was heard at the Northern Territory (NT) Supreme Court where it was said that the 53-year-old recorded himself torturing the animals who almost always died. He later uploaded the video on the internet. "Your depravity falls outside any ordinary human conception," Chief Justice Michael Grant told Britton, according to the Australian Associated Press.

Earlier, after pleading guilty, he had been facing a jail sentence of 249 years. He was arrested in 2022 following a search of his property after someone alerted the police about his videos. Britton was born in the UK but moved to Australia 20 years ago because of his interest in working with crocodiles.

In July, a court in Darwin was told by his lawyer that he suffers from a psychiatric condition known as paraphilia. The case had been adjourned till August 8. Britton committed the rape and killings in a "torture room" inside a shipping container. He would beat the dogs to death and share the videos on Telegram for others who derived pleasure from his acts.

His modus operandi of acquiring the dogs centred around the classified ads website Gumtree. Here he offered to rehabilitate rescue dogs at his property near Darwin. His lawyer says that Britton has been afflicted by the condition since very early childhood, and that "it is not his fault that he had that."

"I was sadistic as a child to animals, but 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," one of his messages tendered to the court read.

WATCH:Mass extermination of stray dogs bill proposed in Turkiye

"My own dogs are family and I have limits," he explained in a Telegram chat that was provided as evidence.

What is Paraphilia?

Paraphilia is a condition where a person has abnormal sexual desires and fantasies involving unusual objects, such as animals. It can also extend to other areas where the perpetrator is at risk of inviting social and legal consequences. These can be about non-consenting adults and children. Experts say that paraphilia is a rare condition, but males are 20 times more likely to have it than females.

“This particular condition is exceptionally taboo in most societies and the court can and I hope would, accept that that would have been a very difficult thing to grow up with and learn to manage into adulthood.”

It was earlier revealed how Britton elaborately shot the videos, using tripods and multiple cameras set up. He hid his identity well in these videos, but one clip in which he was seen torturing at least eight dogs, proved to be his undoing. A bright orange City of Darwin dog leash could be seen in the background and an online detective alerted the police about his depraved acts. The clip was given to the NT police. They raided his home and recovered 44 items - computers, cameras, phones, hard drives and weapons. Child abuse videos were also found on one laptop.

(With inputs from agencies)