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The loot, which
also included a stuffed rhinoceros, a crocodile, a sloth, a
zebra, a penguin and a pink flamingo, belonged to a licensed
taxidermy company and was worth about 100,000 pounds ($124,850)
in total, police said.
Jason Hopwood, 47, had pleaded guilty to burglary and fraudulent
use of a registration plate. He was sentenced to 21 months in
jail, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 200 hours of
community service work.
The animals were stolen in March last year from a warehouse in
Wimbledon, southwest London.
After receiving an anonymous tip-off, police found an abandoned
van in Essex, east of London, with all 18 animals inside and
sticky patches where fake number plates had been attached.
Hopwood was subsequently identified as the van's owner.
"Cataloguing and exhibiting the stolen items was a truly unique
and memorable experience, and this is certainly an investigation
which will stay with me for years to come," said Detective
Constable Stuart Goss of London's Metropolitan Police.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Stephen Addison)
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