Neil Simpson story in Telegraph today...

[champagne]

If everyone who had bought an imported animal or progeny of an imported animal were banned for life, there would be a lot less people in this hobby...

Good to see the authorities being proactive hopefully it continues.

It would of cut down on the progeny of the imports being so wide spread.

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Actually I think you'll find that albino Boas are a pretty much a dime a dozen - not much more expensive than normal coloured ones. To my knowledge he has never had a keeper's licence in NSW, and probably has never aspired to. His wife has been the licence holder. This is a manipulative and narcissistic individual with a massive and misplaced sense of entitlement, couldn't care less who he hurts as he slimes his way through his and other people's lives. Chameleon Geckos are one species he was especially interested in, and are worth a lot of money here and overseas - worth a lot more than albino Boas.

Jamie

Im not up on what exotics are worth over here but more point is that the fine is very small compared to the crime IMO.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

The fines I believe were the biggest so far ever levied in NSW for wildlife offences, and relate primarily to the use of phoney identities in the import and export of reptiles to and from NSW, and I guess to cover his tracks, so they really relate to matters of fraud - it always seems to get back to fraud. Simpson has lived and operated in the shadows for many years. I would say that his move to publish a herp magazine made some public exposure unavoidable. Within 12 months it became very obvious why he does better in the shadows than he does in public - the wheels fell off his wagon in spectacular fashion. You can see in the article you so kindly uploaded btsmorphs that he was convicted earlier this year of the possession of 526 documents relating to fake identities - as I said earlier, he has an enormous sense of entitlement. The thing he will hate most about this (apart from me lol!) will be the public exposure. He's been caught up in his own web of lies and deceit, but it's a way of life for him.

Jamie

 

[Skeptic]

I was always under the impression that keeping exotics carried a fine around the $70k mark. I swear I read that somewhere. Is that what's on paper but never implemented, or are the maximum fines much less?

 

[Pythoninfinite]

I was always under the impression that keeping exotics carried a fine around the $70k mark. I swear I read that somewhere. Is that what's on paper but never implemented, or are the maximum fines much less?

I believe the fines max out at $110K for exotics , but I think that's Federal legislation (they cover exotics), and I don't know of any coming close to this. The charges Simpson faced last week primarily relate to breaching NSW import and export laws using false IDs I believe. I'm sure the details are on the public record somewhere, just as his earlier convictions for fraud will be.

Jamie