From zoologist turns zoosadist

Who was Adam Britton?

In 2004, 33-year-old Adam Robert Corden Britton arrived in McMinns Lagoon, a small rural community just outside Darwin, Australia, known for its unspoiled wetland and large saltwater crocodile population. He immigrated from the United Kingdom, where he had earned his PhD in zoology only 8 years prior. His fame preceded him. A crocodile specialist, his expertise has been featured on several prominent networks, including the BBC and National Geographic. Twenty years later, his fame would transition to infamy after he was convicted of raping, torturing, and killing dozens of dogs and publishing videos of his exploits in private Internet forums.

What turned a mild-manner zoologist into a zoosadist is unclear. Little is known about Britton’s childhood. Court records reveal he had a “sadistic sexual interest” in animals since he was a child and began molesting horses at the age of 13. Since the 56 charges related to bestiality and animal cruelty only covered the 18 months before his arrest, it is presumed his crimes date back decades.

Coworkers who knew him said he was antisocial and called him the “odd man out.” A fellow researcher told reporters, “He was quite up himself… so he wasn’t a particularly popular person, but he was reasonably good at his job.” Many noted that he was a narcissist who passed on others’ work as his own.

“He knew everyone and had a lot of knowledge, but that’s different. Librarians have a lot of knowledge too. Guys like Adam are just trying to get on the bloody news.”

Britton’s quest for infamy was quickly realized. In addition to appearances on BBC and National Geographic, he was often called on for his crocodile expertise. For example, he was sent to the Phillippines in 2011 to help capture and measure the world’s largest crocodile. In 2016, he appeared with Anderson Cooper on CBS’s 60 Minutes.

Britton even consulted in the croc horror film Black Water and its 2019 sequel. Australian director Andrew Traucki recalled working with Britton on the films and described spending many enjoyable hours on Britton’s property filming crocs while accompanied by Britton’s two “awesome” Swiss Shepherds. By this time, Britton was already abusing his own dogs and manipulating other owners into giving him possession of their beloved pets.

Britton builds a dungeon in a metal box

After a tenure at Crocodylus Park in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, where he learned much about crocodiles, Britton purchased heavily wooded property at nearby 100 McMinns Dr, near the McMinns Lagoon. It was in this dark, dank area that Britton installed a large white metal shipping container. Located behind his small home, tucked under a dense tree canopy, the container was sufficiently blocked from view that others, including his wife, could not easily see him enter and exit the box he later referred to as his “torture room.”

Britton fixed the container with recording equipment which he used to produce what many consider the most gruesome acts of bestiality in modern-day history – indescribable videos of him torturing and raping both live and dead dogs. He shared the videos on the social network Telegram, where he discussed their content and helped other viewers learn how to torture animals without getting caught (I.e., bashing them into unidentifiable pieces and feeding their remains to other animals).

Zoosadism in a metal box

Obtaining victims

Although he owned two dogs, Britton once told viewers of his videos, “My own dogs are family, and I have limits.” Instead, Britton sought other animals to use for these torture sessions.

Like many serial offenders, Adam Britton used careful planning to avoid getting caught. Via the online marketplace Gumtree, Britton sought people who were forced to part with their pet dogs for one reason or another. He told the pet owners that his own dog had died of cancer and wanted a companion to replace her.

When the owners turned over their dogs to Britton, he immediately took photos of them in various places around the property. He would later use the photos to prove to the owners that their animals were doing fine if they inquired about their condition.

Once the dogs were secured, they were kept in the metal shipping container or tied to nearby trees, waiting for their demise.

“I only badly mistreat other dogs… I have no emotional bond to them, they are toys pure and simple. And there are plenty more where they came from…”

Internet sleuth tails a freak

Britton filmed himself torturing dogs and puppies in ways most people cannot even imagine. His videos were uploaded as short clips to private channels on Telegram boards under the monickers “monster” and “Cerberus,” a reference to the three-headed dog in Greek mythology.

Going by the handle “Mushroom4,” one user stumbled across the videos and was so disturbed by their content that he felt compelled to act. He assembled the clips into a single 15-minute video, which he published on other boards to tease out the person responsible. The video came to be known as “1 bitch 9 Pups” and featured a mother dog who was forced to watch the torture of her nine two-week-old puppies and, in some cases, consume their remains. The details of the video are too disturbing for publication but can be found in the resources section below (for Geek Slop Guild Member subscribers only).

Mushroom4 scoured the Internet for clues to the identity of the person who produced the film.

“I did lots of research on the internet and posted this everywhere on the internet until I saw one guy who seemed to know something about it. I contacted him and asked what does he know about this video or the person behind it.”

According to his contact, the culprit seemed to be located in Australia. It was at this point he noticed a bright orange “City of Darwin” dog leash worn by a dog shown in the background.

“So that led me nowhere until I started really look around for every detail in [evidence video] and noticed the orange collar with color changing pattern/chip. It had the “Great Pets Start with You” logo on it. I did more research and found that these collars have a chip, and they’re given out by the council in Northern Territory, Australia. So I sent pictures of the dog to numerous shelters in Northern Territory, but no one could identify it. I sent the pics to the city council and asked if it is possible for these kinds of collars to be given out elsewhere. They said, “No,” only we give out such chipped collars to dogs.”

They suggested he contact the local police.

Upon contacting the authorities, he learned that they were already investigating a high-profile man in the area and suspected him of abusing animals. The video was just the evidence they needed. They raided Britton’s home and searched his property, where they found more videos and “chopped up pets”.

The arrest

Adam Britton was arrested in April 2022. A search of his property revealed severed dog limbs in a freezer, a severed dog head, decomposing puppies, and pedophile/child abuse videos and pictures on his computers.

Police say they found the case to be the most disturbing they had ever encountered, so they kept Britton’s identity secret, only revealing that the abuser was well-known and not someone who you would expect to be a twisted killer. His identity was hidden for more than two years until he was officially convicted of the crimes.

The trial

Chief Justice Michael Grant warned the courtroom that the details of Britton’s crimes would likely cause “nervous shock.” In response, many people left the courtroom. More rushed to the exit when Grant began reading the details of the charges against Adam Britton.

Britton was charged with torturing at least 42 dogs, resulting in the deaths of almost all of them. The crimes he was charged with only covered the 18 months before his arrest. There were likely many other instances, possibly hundreds. In one message presented to the court, Britton wrote,

“I was sadistic as a child to animals, but I had repressed it. In the last few years, I let it out again, and now I can’t stop. I don’t want to. :)”

Judge Grant took Britton’s failure to show empathy or remorse into consideration and, along with the severity of the crimes, sentenced him to ten years in prison. He told Britton, “Your depravity falls entirely outside any ordinary human conception.”

Britton was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Epilogue

A slap on the wrist?

Many consider Britton’s ten-year sentence too lenient. After all, with two years already served, he will be eligible for parole in only four years (2028). In addition, the judge banned him from owning any “mammals,” curiously exempting the reptiles Britton specialized in. In just four years, Adam Britton could be released from prison and return to his life as a zoologist working with animals.

What was in the 1Bitch9Pups and the other Adam Britton videos?