Adam Britton: Dog rapist and torturer gets teary in court as he faces sentencing on shocking charges involving adopted pets

• Crocodile expert Adam Britton has paraphilia, a court heard
• He admitted to raping and torturing dozens of pet dogs
• READ MORE: Inside crocodile expert's seemingly normal life

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

A disgraced crocodile expert who filmed himself brutally raping and torturing dozens of pet dogs became emotional when his psychiatric condition was mentioned in court, prompting a security guard to hand him a box of tissues.

Adam Britton, 53, who grew up in West Yorkshire before emigrating to Australia, confessed in Darwin's Supreme Court last year to 63 charges relating to animal abuse, bestiality, and for the possession of child exploitation material.

According to court documents, the once-respected academic sourced about 42 dogs on Gumtree Australia over a two-year period for the sole purpose of torturing the animals to death on camera.

Britton, who once worked for the BBC and National Geographic, would arrange to take dogs from families who were forced to give their pets up due to work or health issues. He once described watching children cry as he took their beloved pets away.

The former Charles Darwin academic, who once hosted David Attenborough in his home, appeared in court for his sentencing on Thursday in a beige shirt, as local pet owners and a member of his ex-wife's family watched on from the public gallery.

Outside the court, one local held a sign that read: 'Death penalty for Adam Britton'. Another sign read 'Rapist, torturer, murderer.' 

The married zoologist, who would post horrific footage of animal abuse on his Telegram channel under the pseudonym 'Cerberus', managed to keep his twisted double life secret from his wife Erin for years.

Erin, a wildlife ranger and biologist who once met Prince Harry and helped him catch a crocodile, has since reportedly changed her name. There is no suggestion that Erin knew anything of her husband's crimes. 

The court heard on Thursday that Britton was affected by 'paraphilia' - a disorder defined as recurrent and intense sexual fantasies, urges, or behaviors that are distressing or disabling and involve inanimate objects, children or nonconsenting adults.

He had 30 sessions with a psychologist and has expressed remorse for his actions. 

When his condition was mentioned, he sniffled and was handed a box of tissues. Britton then dabbed a tear from under his glasses.

The matter was adjourned pending a psychiatric report and will return to court on August 8.

Britton's 2.5-acre estate at McMinns Lagoon, south-east of Darwin, is up for sale and being spruiked as an architecturally-designed family home with a resort-style swimming pool.

'Tranquillity in the bush,' the online listing read. 

Last week, a local spray-painted the words 'dog killer' on the road outside the property. 

Britton was arrested in April 2022 after an anonymous internet user noticed a female dog in one of his online videos was wearing an orange City of Darwin leash with the slogan, 'great pets start with you'.

Using the clue, authorities were able to track who had adopted the dog: Britton. 

Prosecutors previously told the court he had a Telegram account which was used to engage with 'like-minded people', and another which was used to disseminate images and recordings of the abuse.

'Using these applications, the offender discussed his 'kill count',' the prosecutor told the court.

His account had 114 threads where he described how he acquired the pets and how he abused them.

Britton sourced other dogs from Gumtree Australia from unsuspecting owners in the Darwin region.

The court previously heard he built rapport with the owners and negotiated taking custody of their pets, many of whom reluctantly gave their pets away due to travel or work commitments. 

In one scenario, Britton sent a message to the owners of a large brown dog to reassure them the animal was 'settling in well'.

The prosecutor told the court that dog Wolfe had already been 'sexually exploited, tortured and killed'.

Following his arrest in 2022, police seized 44 items including computers, mobile telephones, cameras, external hard drives, tools and weapons during a raid of his home. They also found 15  child abuse material files on his laptop.

Prior to the police investigation, Britton was known for being a prominent crocodile expert in northern Australia and a senior researcher at Charles Darwin University.

Throughout his career, he hosted Mr Attenborough while filming the BBC's Life in Cold Blood docuseries.