Crocodile and 35 snakes found in man's bedroom in Essex
Lee Thompson to be sentenced after being on the run for keeping the animals without a license
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A 4ft crocodile and 35 snakes have been found in a man’s bedroom in Essex.
Lee Thompson had been on the run after he failed to turn up to court last month for keeping the animals without a license.
Other dangerous animals including cobras, copperheads, pythons and a Madagascar giant hognose were also found in his bedroom in January.
An appeal was launched to find Thompson, who has distinctive tattoos including the word ‘snake’ on his neck, who was arrested on 11 September.
At an earlier hearing, Thompson denied being the owner of the animals.
Magistrates heard had been wanted by police since November 2015, when police raided a Basildon address and found the hoard of animals.
At the time, police found a collection of animals including, 35 snakes, seven spiders, a bullfrog and a turtle.
Nine snakes and all the spiders died and the bullfrog and turtle had to be euthanised due to their poor condition.
The dangerous snakes included two horned vipers, two uracoan rattlesnakes, two western diamond rattlesnakes and an indochines spitting cobra.
The remaining snakes were not considered dangerous.
Thompson successfully evaded arrest until January this year, where he disclosed to police a new home address in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.
Police then searched the second address and found another hoard of animals.
RSPCA Inspector Rebecca Benson, said: “Before we even entered the room we could smell a strong scent of faeces and rotting flesh.
“Inside the bedroom, we found the crocodile contained only in tarpaulin and flimsy wooden boards.
“The crocodile had no clean water and its heat lamp was unsecured and the animal could have easily knocked the lamp.
“None of the snakes had access to food or clean water and were being kept in plastic boxes with holes in them.
“The boxes were just piled on top of each other.
“Some of the snakes were alert but several had died and their boxes were infested with maggots.”
RSPCA rescued the live snakes and the crocodile.
Thompson was disqualified from owning dangerous animals at the same court in June 2009.
He failed to appear at Basildon Magistrates' Court on 17 August, where he was found guilty of two counts of keeping a dangerous wild animal without a licence, two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and two counts of breaching a disqualification.
Agencies contributed to this report