London wildlife criminal convicted

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From Wildlife Extra:

London man gets 10-month suspended sentence for illegal wildlife buys

A man from London has been given a 10-month suspended sentence by Croydon Crown Court after being found guilty of purchasing illegal animal parts, including the skull of a chimpanzee and a cheetah skin.

Peter Prineas, aged 52, was investigated by the Metropolitan Police’s (Met) Wildlife Crime Unit when they discovered he bought the cheetah skin on an online site.

A search of his home revealed farther illegal purchases including a drill skull, a leaf monkey skull, four chimpanzee skulls, a leopard‘s skin, a lion claw, a killer whale tooth, a sperm whale tooth, and other specimens protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Prineas pleaded guilty to six counts of evading any duty/prohibition/restriction/provision under Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, two counts of purchasing/offering to purchase/selling/keeping for sale a specimen of species listed in Annex A of COTES, and one count of acquiring/using/possessing criminal property, at an earlier hearing.

DC Sarah Bailey, the investigating officer for the WCU, said: “People like Prineas tragically increase the pressure on these endangered species, putting a price on their heads by taking part in their illegal trade.

“The Wildlife Crime Unit will now use the recovered items to try and educate people on the legislation and the severe threat that the illegal trade in these types of specimens poses to endangered wildlife.”

Alyx Elliott, Campaign Manager for World Animal Protection, said: “We welcome the news of this successful prosecution and hope that this will encourage Londoners to report similar crimes involving endangered species to the Met’s Wildlife Crime Unit. The items seized illustrate the cruelty involved in this type of crime and the lengths that criminals will go to in order to exploit animals simply for financial gain.”