Daniel Lingham, 71, had served two jail sentences for his unlawful egg accumulating earlier than he was caught on a wildlife entice digicam final 12 months.
A self-described egg accumulating addict has been handed a suspended jail-term for illegally amassing a group of almost 3,000 wild birds’ eggs.
Daniel Lingham, 71, had served two jail sentences for his unlawful egg accumulating – in 2005 and in 2018 – earlier than he was caught on a wildlife entice digicam stealing two eggs from a nightjar nest in 2023.
He was recognized within the footage from Holt Lowes in Norfolk, on June 9 final 12 months, by his distinctive walking stick and hundreds extra eggs have been discovered when police searched his home in Newton St Faith, Norfolk.
Josephine Jones, prosecuting at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Friday, mentioned Lingham “said he could not help himself due to his addiction to collecting eggs”.
He was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail suspended for 18 months.
Presiding Justice of the Peace Matthew Watts mentioned: “We believe it’s serious enough that it does cross the custody threshold but because of the realistic prospect of rehabilitation we are going to suspend (the sentence).”
Lingham was additionally ordered to adjust to a 12-month psychological well being remedy requirement together with 15 rehabilitation exercise days.
He was informed to pay £183 in compensation to the British Trust for Ornithology, £145 in courtroom prices and a £154 sufferer surcharge.
Lingham lined his face along with his coat hood as he left the courtroom building, and informed reporters “no comment”.
Miss Jones mentioned the defendant mentioned he “unfortunately disturbed a nightjar nest and fell into the awful trap of taking the eggs”.
He mentioned that hundreds extra eggs discovered at his home handle on July 25 have been from not taken from the wild by him, the prosecutor mentioned.
She mentioned Lingham mentioned they have been from an old assortment he had in storage when police final raided his handle and from a group he was given by a buddy in Essex.
A complete of two,995 eggs have been discovered inside his home, together with 2,429 eggs from native birds in his bed room.
Of these, 548 have been from native birds on the amber listing of birds of conservation concern, and an extra 546 have been of essentially the most critical concern on the purple listing together with linnet, inexperienced finch, yellowhammer and home sparrow.
An additional assortment of eggs was discovered behind a shower panel together with a field containing a pair of nightjar eggs with a label “Nightjar 2, Holt Lowes June 9”.
Officers additionally discovered figuring out books, binoculars and an egg-blowing equipment.
He admitted at an earlier listening to to 5 offences, together with taking the nightjar eggs and possessing 2,429 eggs of a non-schedule 1 wild chicken beneath the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
He additionally admitted possessing 22 Schedule 1 chicken eggs, possessing articles able to getting used to determine and take eggs and breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order which banned him from getting into Holt Lowes.
Lingham has two earlier convictions for comparable crimes.
In 2005, he was jailed for 10 weeks after police discovered a group of almost 4,000 eggs in his home.
While in 2018, he was discovered to be in possession of greater than 5,000 eggs for which he was jailed for 18 weeks and handed a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order geared toward stopping him from committing comparable crimes sooner or later.
Miss Jones informed the courtroom: “These collectors are motivated by an obsessive need to seek out and possess eggs.
“It’s not for financial gain.”
She continued: “They’re kept as trophies for personal gratification.”
“If the whole clutch (of eggs) is taken and the species is in any way rare, the egg collection will have a damaging effect on the conservation of that particular species,” she mentioned.
James Burrows, mitigating, mentioned: “There’s an extensive history of some mental health issues.”
He mentioned Lingham has “expressed being addicted to egg collecting”.
“There’s no monetary gain in any of this,” mentioned Mr Burrows. “It’s that drive, that addiction that keeps people coming back unfortunately.”
