Kent man caught with 24 elephant tusks

Guilty plea
Elliott appeared at Southwark Crown Court where he had earlier pleaded guilty to seven offences relating to the trade in ivory. Four further charges were ordered to lie on file.

24 elephant tusks recovered
This case originally came to police attention when a warrant was executed at Michael Elliott's home in January 2005 during which 24 elephant tusks were recovered. A further warrant was executed in March 2005 at the same address, this time leading to a haul of carved hippo ivory figures, elephant ivory and sperm whale teeth.

Endangered species trade
Michael Elliot was arrested and later charged with offences contrary to the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997. These relate to the selling and keeping for sale hippo, elephant and sperm whale items. On three of the charges Mr Elliot was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment on each charge to run consecutively, a total of two years imprisonment, suspended for two years. On the remaining four charges he was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment on each, to run concurrently, suspended for two years.

Prosecution costs of £1480 were awarded against him and all of the ivory was subject to forfeiture.

In sentencing Mr Elliot, His Honour Judge Gledhill QC commented that man had since time immemorial collected art made from parts of species and that "the effect of that human activity has been to cause extinction and in other cases pushed species to the verge of extinction.

Met's Wildlife Crime Unit
Detective Constable David Flint of the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit said, "This case has shown that there is still a high demand for ivory and ivory products. This demand outstrips the ivory available lawfully and encourages poachers in the range states to kill endangered species. This is to the detriment of us all and threatens the species' very survival. It also destroys people's livelihoods and helps to fund organised crime, insurgencies and terrorism."

Two officers from the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit were commended by the judge when he described the unit as extremely valuable and a credit to the Metropolitan Police. The Wildlife Crime Unit would like to acknowledge the hard work put in by John Elliott for the CPS and Prosecuting Counsel Rosa Dean. They were both involved in this case from early on, providing advice and guidance on the investigation and ultimately bringing it to a successful conclusion before the courts.

This case is the latest under Operation Charm, an ongoing partnership initiative against the illegal trade in endangered species in London.