Daniel Lingham, a prolific egg thief from Norfolk, has pleaded responsible to 5 costs forward of his sentencing in May.
Lingham, 71, was caught on a wildlife digicam throughout June 2023 taking European Nightjar eggs from a nature reserve close to Holt in Norfolk. He had beforehand been jailed in 2005 and 2018 after hundreds of eggs have been discovered at his home in Newton St Faith close to Norwich.
The RSPB stated Lingham, who is because of be sentenced in May, was a “one-man machine for devastation” who had induced “untold harm” to the populations of some species.
Some of the hundreds of eggs in Lingham’s assortment (Norfolk Constabulary).
Stealing wild birds’ eggs
At Norwich Magistrates’ Court, Lingham admitted taking and possessing extra 2,400 protected wild birds’ eggs. Lingham additionally admitted breaching a prison behaviour order following a earlier conviction.
In June 2023, Lingham was caught by a distant digicam, which had been set as much as monitor breeding nightjars at Holt Lowes Nature Reserve, eradicating eggs from a nest. Police stated he was recognized by his distinctive walking stick.
In July, officers supported by the RSPB and National Wildlife Crime Unit raided his home and located 2,429 native birds’ eggs.
In a police interview, Lingham advised officers that his egg-collecting habit was a “psychological well being problem” and that among the eggs had been discovered previous to his conviction in 2018. Lingham has been launched on bail forward of his sentencing listening to on 3 May.
Egg amassing nonetheless a priority
An RSPB spokesperson stated: “Although egg amassing incidents have decreased sharply since 2001, when custodial sentences for these offences have been launched some people within the UK nonetheless have interaction in these crimes, amassing vital numbers of birds’ eggs illegally for purely private gratification fairly than any financial worth.”
Following Lingham’s 2018 imprisonment, his clutch of hundreds of uncommon birds’ eggs have been donated to the Natural History Museum.
