Man convicted of wildlife crime offences – Grove, Oxfordshire
Date of alert:
Monday, 3 July 2023
Crime Ref:
Force:
Thames Valley Police
Following an investigation by Thames Valley Police’s Rural Crime Taskforce, a man from Grove, Oxfordshire, has been convicted of wildlife crime offences.
At Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (29/6), Tevita Lavaki, aged 50, of Mayfield Avenue, Grove, pleaded guilty to one count each of:
offering a specimen of species listed in Annex A to Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 for sale, namely sperm whale teeth,
keeping a specimen of species listed in Annex A to Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 for sale, namely sperm whale teeth,
selling a specimen of species listed in Annex A to Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97, namely sperm whale teeth.
Lavaki had been selling sperm whale teeth between August and September last year.
On 29 September last year, the Rural Crime Taskforce executed a search warrant at Lavaki’s address in Mayfield Avenue, Grove, with support from the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Officers found 46 sperm whale teeth that had been cleaned, polished and put into packaging with prices on, with a total value of £18,350.
Sperm whales are listed as an endangered species and are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act 1972.
