It appears like a bush paradise…however this dwelling holds a darkish secret
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
A sprawling bushland retreat where a man filmed himself abusing pet dogs in a shipping container he called ‘the torture room’ has hit the market for $790,000.
Adam Britton, 53, used his three-bedroom home at McMinns Lagoon, south-east of Darwin, to perform unspeakable acts on pet dogs between 2020 and 2022 before his vile crimes were uncovered by police.
The once-respected crocodile expert – who hosted Sir David Attenborough at his property for the BBC documentary Cold Blood – pleaded guilty in the Northern Territory Supreme Court last September to 37 counts of animal cruelty.
He also admitted to 10 counts of raping or attempting to rape a dog and four counts of possessing or transmitting child abuse material. The sadistic material was posted online.
Britton is in custody awaiting sentencing submissions.
Now, his 2.5-acre estate 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.
Britton (pictured left, with his wife Erin) once hosted Sir David Attenborough (right). There is no suggestion whatsoever that his wife knew about his offending
Dog rapist Adam Britton’s property (pictured) has hit the market for $790,000
Pictured: A shipping container on a property where Adam Britton he raped, tortured and murdered dogs
‘Troppo Architects have designed a stunning extension to this two bedroom, one bathroom ground level home.
‘The outdoor pavilion has 360 degree views of your own true ‘rural’ setting allowing the connection between indoor and outdoor space.’
Cate Killiner, the selling agent, refused to comment on the property when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Records show Britton bought the McMinns Lagoon place for $250,000 in 2004, but it has been vacant since his arrest in 2022.
He shared the home with his zoologist wife Erin O’Brien, their saltwater crocodile Smaug, their two Swiss Shepherds Ursa and Bolt who he also regularly abused.
There is no suggestion Ms O’Brien knew anything about her husband’s depraved interests.
She spent most of her time in regional areas or travelling internationally for work.
The property features a resort-style swimming pool (pictured) and has been architecturally designed
Britton lived at the property (pictured) from 2004 when he bought it for $250,000
Britton, who grew up in West Yorkshire before moving to Australia, began his sick abuse in 2014.
He tortured and raped more than 42 dogs, many of which were sourced using Gumtree Australia.
Owners often reluctantly gave their pets away to him due to work commitments.
The former academic at Charles Darwin University would post the horrific footage of the abuse on his Telegram channel.
However, he was the master of his own undoing when he posted a disturbing video called ‘1B***h9Pups’ to an abuse website on March 22, 2022.
The following day, an anonymous internet user noticed the adult female dog was wearing an orange City of Darwin leash with the slogan ‘great pets start with you’.
Adam Robert Corden Britton (pictured) was a respected zoologist until he pleaded guilty to a string of animal abuse charges
They referred the footage to the NT Animal Welfare Branch via Gmail, which then referred the matter to police.
On April 22, a month after Britton posted the video online, NT Police and Australian Federal Police raided his home.
Detectives seized computers, mobile phones, cameras, external hard drives, tools, weapons, dog paraphernalia and sex toys.
After pleading guilty to all charges in September, Chief Justice Michael Grant warned the gallery the facts of the offending detailed ‘acts that could only be described as grotesque cruelty which are both confronting and distressing’.
‘Which, in my assessment, have the potential to cause nervous shock or some other adverse psychological reaction to a person exposed to those details,’ he said.
Britton will return to court for sentencing submissions in July.
