British man caught selling fur coats made from endangered leopards and wolves over eBay

Police say illegal clothing appeared to be of ‘fairly recent origin’

A leopard fur coat offered for sale by Timothy Norris over eBay (Metropolitan Police)

A Surrey man who sold fur clothes made from protected species including leopard, wolf and lynx has been sentenced to 200 hours community service.

Timothy Norris, 40, of Beaconsfield Road, Epsom, was caught offering coats, scarves and hats made from endangered wild cats and wolves for sale over eBay.

The Metropolitan Police said garments seized from his home appeared to have been made from animals that had been relatively recently killed.

Officers from the force’s wildlife crime unit found an online trader, later identified as Norris, selling the clothes over eBay under the name DianaGrant77 in February last year.

They raided his home and confiscated 24 illegal items of clothing. Some were made from the fur of leopard, snow leopard, and clouded leopard, which are all listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species.

Police also found garments made from ocelot, wolf and lynx, which along with leopards are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Coats made from those species can be legally traded with a permit or if made before 3 March 1947.

Scotland Yard said the clothes seized from Norris “appeared to be of fairly recent origin” and he had no valid trading certificates, making his sales illegal.

Norris had also illegally exported coats outside the EU without the mandatory permit from the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency.

He pleaded guilty to charges of possession, sale and illegal export of CITES-listed species at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Detective constable Sarah Bailey, of the Met’s wildlife crime unit, said: “Offenders like Norris are helping to fuel the illegal wildlife trade.

“Leopards, snow leopards and clouded leopard populations are assessed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and any trade outside the legal framework could threaten the conservation status of remaining wild populations.”

There are thought to be fewer than 6,400 snow leopards and 10,000 clouded leopards left in the wild.

DC Bailey added: “The Met’s wildlife crime unit are committed to ensuring that anyone in London trading illegally in endangered animal fur garments, is caught.

“There are laws in place to protect endangered species and I would urge anyone who sees fur coats from protected wildlife for sale to contact police.”

CITES is an international agreement between governments intended to ensure the sale of animal and plant products does not threaten their survival.