British croc expert jailed for sexual abuse of dogs

A renowned British crocodile expert has been jailed for 10 years in Australia, after admitting to sexually abusing dozens of dogs, in a case which horrified the nation.

Warning: This story contains distressing details of animal cruelty

Adam Britton, a leading zoologist who has worked on BBC and National Geographic productions, pleaded guilty to 56 charges relating to bestiality and animal cruelty.

He also admitted to four counts of accessing child abuse material.

The Northern Territory (NT) Supreme Court heard the 53-year-old filmed himself torturing the animals until almost all died, and then shared the videos online under pseudonyms.

His abuse went on for years unnoticed until a clue was found in one of his videos. Britton was arrested in April 2022 after a search of his rural Darwin property, which also uncovered child abuse material on his laptop.

Much of the detail of Britton's crimes are too graphic to publish, and so "grotesque" the judge at times warned people to leave the courtroom.

"Your depravity falls outside any ordinary human conception," Chief Justice Michael Grant told Britton, according to the Australian Associated Press.

Including time already served, Britton could be eligible for parole in April 2028. He is also banned from owning any mammals for the rest of his life.

Mr Britton's lawyer argued his offending was driven by a rare disorder causing intense, atypical sexual interests.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.