A prominent crocodile expert and Charles Darwin University academic has been jailed for more than 10 years over his ‘grotesque’ depravity and cruelty in torturing and killing dozens of dogs.
Adam Robert Corden Britton was sentenced in Darwin Supreme Court on Thursday having previously pleaded guilty to 56 offences related to the torture and sexual exploitation of more than 42 dogs on his rural property.
Chief Justice Michael Grant warned the public gallery that he would have to describe Britton’s offending that included ‘grotesque cruelty toward animals’.
‘Your depravity falls outside any ordinary human conception,’ Justice Grant told Britton.
Despite this Britton’s barrister argued a lifetime ban on animal ownership was an ‘extreme measure’ and that he should be allowed to own or live with any creatures other than ‘mammals’.
Members of the public gallery sobbed and gasped as the details of Britton’s extensive and violent offending, resulting in the deaths of 39 dogs, including nine puppies, were read out.
Britton stood in the dock wearing a black suit with grey shirt and did not visibly react to Justice Grant’s sentencing remarks.
Adam Britton (pictured has been jailed for more than 10 years over his ‘grotesque’ depravity and cruelty towards over 2 dogs
Adam Britton (pictured) told a stranger on Telegram that he stopped trying to suppress his violent urges
Animal advocates earlier demonstrated outside court holding signs labelling Britton a ‘zoosadist’ who should face the death penalty.
Britton began offending in 2014 and continued until his arrest in April 2022 after a video of his vile acts, which he had shared online, was anonymously provided to Northern Territory animal welfare authorities.
The agreed facts stated Britton extensively filmed his offending and shared some of the videos online while encouraging others to commit similar offences and offering advice on how to do so.
‘Your sheer and unalloyed pleasure is sickeningly evident from the recorded material,’ Justice Grant said.
Britton was also sentenced for possessing and transmitting ‘the worst category’ of child sexual abuse material.
As well as torturing his own dogs, Britton bought sought canines featured in Gumtree Australia ‘free to good home’ adverts from unsuspecting owners in the Darwin region.
In 2016, Britton uploaded a photo of one of his dogs, Bolt, as a puppy (pictured)
The court heard Britton started abusing his dogs, Ursa and Bolt (pictured), in 2014
The former academic, who once hosted world-famous broadcaster and biologist David Attenborough, would share videos and images of himself sexually exploiting the dogs on online forums under pseudonyms.
Britton has been remanded in custody since his arrest.
Britton was a prominent NT crocodile expert and a senior researcher at CDU.
None of his offending is alleged to have been against the reptiles.
Britton was sentenced to 10 years and five months with a non-parole period of six years, backdated to his April 2022 arrest.
Justice Grant ordered that Britton be banned from owning or having on his property mammal-type animals for the term of his natural life.
But Britton’s barrister said it was ‘an extreme measure’.
‘We certainly don’t cavil with this being a case in which such an order would be appropriate but a lifetime and all animals for a person who is motivated to receive treatment and has reasonable prospects of rehabilitation would be too extreme.’
Britton’s barrister also read an apology penned from her client in court.
‘I take full responsibility for the demeaning crimes that I perpetrated on dogs,’ he said.
‘I deeply regret the pain and trauma that I caused to innocent animals and consequently to my family, friends and members of the community that I affected, I let you all down and I’m truly sorry.
Adam Britton (centre) with his wife Erin (left) and David Attenborough (right) during filming for a BBC documentary
‘I now acknowledge that I’ve been fighting a rare paraphilic disorder for much of my life and that shame and fear prevented me from seeking the proper help I needed.’
Britton said ‘no amount of words can convey how sorry and ashamed I am, nor undo what I did’ but he was ‘determined to prove I am better than this’.
‘That I will seek long term treatment and that I will find a path towards redemption,’ he said.
‘Please give my family the space they deserve to heal, they were not aware or involved in any way.’
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