- Daniel Lingham admitted 5 offences regarding the unlawful assortment of eggs
This is the second a person with a ‘wild fowl egg obsession’ was caught illegally hoarding almost 3,000 of the uncommon objects in his home.
Daniel Lingham, 71, was captured on a wildlife entice digicam stealing two eggs from a Nightjar nest in Holt Lowes, a nature reserve in Norfolk, in June final yr.
Norfolk Police carried out a subsequent search of his home in Newton St Faith and found he had stolen 1000’s of eggs, together with some from birds that had been protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Body digicam footage confirmed how officers searched Lingham’s home as he handed over a show case of the unlawful eggs he had hoarded. Police additionally discovered figuring out books, binoculars, and an egg blowing package.
Lingham admitted right this moment at Norwich Magistrates’ Court to 5 offences regarding the unlawful assortment of eggs, Norfolk Police mentioned.
He additionally admitted to possessing articles able to getting used to determine and take eggs and breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order. He is because of be sentenced in May.
The bodycamera footage confirmed how officers discovered a complete of two,995 eggs inside the home, together with 2,429 eggs from native birds – protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act – in his bed room.
Of these, 548 had been from native birds on the amber listing of birds of conservation concern, and an extra 546 had been of probably the most severe concern on the pink listing together with linnet, inexperienced finch, yellowhammer and home sparrow.
An additional assortment of eggs, which appeared newer, 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’, police mentioned.
Officers additionally discovered figuring out books, binoculars and an egg-blowing package.
In an interview with police, Lingham mentioned the entire eggs, bar the Nightjar ones, had been taken earlier than a earlier conviction in 2018.
He claimed a group on show in a cupboard within the bed room had come from an Essex home clearance and whereas they had been his, he had not taken them himself from the wild, the court docket heard.
Lingham additionally mentioned he had been searching for adders and tiger beetles when he was ‘tempted’ by the nightjar eggs attributable to his egg-collecting habit, which was a psychological well being situation, the power mentioned.
He appeared at Norwich Magistrates’ Court right this moment, the place he pleaded responsible to 5 offences regarding the theft of the eggs.
These included taking eggs from a nightjar on June 9, 2023 at Holt, and possessing 2,429 eggs of a non-schedule 1 wild fowl on July 25, 2023 – the day police searched his home.
He additionally admitted possessing 22 Schedule 1 fowl eggs in July 2023, possessing articles able to getting used to determine and take eggs and breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order on June 9, 2023.
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, Norfolk Police mentioned.
Under the order, Lingham is banned from getting into Holt Lowes between February 1 and October 1 in addition to many different websites throughout Norfolk and nationally – lots of which appeared on place-name labels among the many bins, Norfolk Police mentioned.
Tom Grose, RSPB investigations officer, mentioned: ‘The scale of egg theft which Lingham has dedicated during the last 20 years is stunning.
‘Sadly, his obsession with gathering wild birds’ eggs has in the end resulted in 1000’s of breeding birds, which have invested big quantities of power into rearing young, to fail.
‘We’re relieved that this sort of crime is now comparatively uncommon within the UK, however this latest case has revealed that the breeding success of the nightjar, a species of conservation concern, has once more been focused in Norfolk by Lingham’s unlawful actions.’
PC Chris Shelley, from the Op Randall Rural Crime Team, mentioned: ‘Egg gathering must be a passion that’s confined to the historical past books, having been made unlawful in 1954.
‘Thankfully, there are only a few people now committing this crime however these few, together with Lingham, trigger an enormous quantity of hurt to 1000’s of birds, together with a few of our most at-risk species – on this case nightjar, linnet, yellow hammer and home sparrows to call just some.
‘We would all the time encourage anybody who sees suspicious exercise round fowl nests within the coming months to report as a lot element as doable utilizing our on-line type or 999 if in progress.’
Lingham is because of be sentenced on May 3.
