A crocodile expert who raped, tortured and murdered dozens of dogs has two mysterious associates who regularly visit him in prison.
Adam Britton, 53, pleaded guilty last year in the Supreme Court in Darwin to 63 charges relating to animal cruelty, bestiality and possession of child exploitation material.
The once-respected academic, who was born in the UK and has worked for the BBC and National Geographic, collected around 42 dogs from Gumtree in Australia over a two-year period, with the sole purpose of torturing the animals to death on camera.
He contacted families who had reluctantly given up their dogs due to work or health issues, then sent out false updates reassuring the former owners that their pets were “happy” and “doing fine.”
According to court documents, the pets were usually already dead by the time these updates were sent. Most of the dogs he acquired were horribly abused and killed within days of becoming his owner.
Britton shed a tear last week when his psychiatric condition “paraphelia” – intense sexual fantasies or behaviour involving inanimate objects, children or adults without consent – was discussed in court.
A guard handed him a box of tissues.
Most of the former employees, and his ex-wife Erin, who officially dropped his last name just two months after his 2022 arrest, have cut ties with the disgraced zoologist. Now, however, it has been revealed that there are a few exceptions.
Adam Britton (pictured) is a crocodile expert who pleaded guilty to 63 charges relating to animal cruelty, bestiality and possession of child exploitation material.
Adam Britton (pictured with his wife) was married for about 15 years. She formally dropped his last name two months after he was charged
A man and a woman are known to have visited Britton in his cell at Darwin Correctional Centre.
Daily Mail Australia has learned that they have known Britton for a long time and believe he can be rehabilitated.
Her lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous due to ongoing abuse and threats from bystanders, told the court last week that her client was “not a psychopath” and that he had shown in the past that he could control his urges.
Telegram messages from Britton’s phone, previously revealed by Daily Mail Australia, show he had “sadistic” tendencies since childhood but suppressed them until around 2020, when he realised he enjoyed torturing and killing dogs.
His lawyer said: ‘If he has had it under control in the past, he will have it under control in the future.’
‘This is a person who has suffered from this since early childhood… it is not his fault that he has this.
‘This particular condition is extremely taboo in most societies and the court can, and I hope will, accept that it is very difficult to grow up with and deal with as an adult.’
She admitted that Britton could have sought treatment for his condition instead of acting out his fantasies, but he had successfully put it “in a little box” in the back of his mind and tried not to think about it for years.
Adam Britton (centre) with his wife Erin (left) and David Attenborough (right) during filming for the BBC documentary Cold Blood
Pictured: A fake Telegram conversation Britton had with a like-minded user, in which he discussed his sadistic impulses
The court also heard that Britton had spent almost 30 hours with a psychologist in prison and had expressed remorse for his crimes.
“Remorse is seen as evidence of rehabilitation possibilities, just like insight,” his lawyer said.
“These are things you might not immediately see when you first talk to someone in a professional setting.
“These are things that often evolve with treatment. They are not set in stone.”
However, District Attorney Marty Aust said the videos showing Britton abusing dogs were particularly troubling because they showed the “embedded pleasure” he got from the act.
“When you watch the footage, you see the tremendous pleasure and enjoyment that this man took in creating this and carrying out these acts,” he said.
‘His pure joy is at the heart of his work.
“It’s hard to read, it’s hard to hear, but to see it is something else entirely.”
He said Britton’s routine animal cruelty required “considerable planning” and that it became a “production, involving multiple cameras, tripods, various recording equipment, production values and editing.”
Mr Aust asked for the maximum sentence of two years in prison for each offence involving torture and death.
Adam Britton lived alone in Darwin before his arrest in 2022. His wife knew nothing of his criminal activities.
“We’re certainly not asking for 78 years, but actually two years is fair for each of those offences,” he told the court.
The case was adjourned pending a psychiatric report and will return to court on August 8.
Britton grew up in England and completed his PhD in zoology at the University of Bristol. In 1996 he moved to Australia to pursue his fascination with crocodiles.
He met his future wife and they set up a consultancy, Big Gecko, selling crocodile footage to television and film directors. They worked with natural history shows for the BBC and National Geographic.
Their saltwater crocodile, Smaug, became something of a celebrity in his field, appearing in two horror films.
Britton and Erin also hosted Sir David Attenborough when he was filming the BBC documentary series Life in Cold Blood.
She was a biologist and park ranger and worked on several projects on sea turtles and crocodile counting.
They were married for about 15 years, but she was often away for work and there is no indication that she knew of his dark secret.