Wenslus Murape
SYDNEY. — From the outside, Adam Britton seemed like a passionate — albeit quiet and nerdy — advocate for animals.
Over decades, the 53-year-old built a colourful reputation as one of the world’s leading crocodile experts.
He swam with the apex predators in the wild, lent his pet crocodile Smaug to countless films and documentaries, and even hosted Sir David Attenborough at his home in Darwin, Australia; all the while preaching the need for greater respect for the creatures. Born in West Yorkshire in 1971, court documents state that Britton had concealed a “sadistic sexual interest” in animals since he was a child and began molesting horses at the age of 13.
But beyond that, little is known about his youth in the United Kingdom.
On his blog, Britton said he was inspired to become a zoologist by three people – his mum, who was an “avid naturalist”; his biology teacher Val Richards; and Sir David, his role model.
But Britton has now been dubbed one of the world’s worst animal abusers, this week sentenced to over a decade in jail for filming himself sexually abusing and torturing dozens of dogs.
Along with 56 charges of animal cruelty and bestiality, he also admitted to four counts of accessing child abuse material.
The news sent ripples of shock and disgust around the globe, leaving some of those who knew Britton questioning how he became the “Monster of McMinns Lagoon” — a reference to the sprawling property where he committed his crimes.
Several described to the BBC a shy but friendly man, others an arrogant attention-seeker who took credit for work that was not his own. But there was one point on which they all agreed: when combing through their memories for clues of Britton’s depravity, they found nothing.
“It truly seems like a Ted Bundy type situation where you would never imagine such a thing being possible,” former colleague Brandon Sideleau says. — BBC.
Online Reporter