A bizarre case has surfaced where four men are facing charges of stealing hundreds of crocodile eggs from a world-famous national park. According to Australian Associated Press (AAP), Pilot Sebastian Robinson, along with Timothy Luck, Dean Larsen and Stephen Slark, was charged with taking, keeping and moving a species from Kakadu National Park in February 2024.
The charges have also been levelled against a company, SDRL Pty Ltd, operating under the name Kinga Contracting. The charges relate to obtaining a financial advantage by deception in relation to the case.
The charges linked to egg-stealing charges emerged following a joint investigation by Parks Australia, the Australian Federal Police and the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission, AAP reported. In the Darwin Local Court today Ruth Champion, appearing for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, said the charges of illegally taking crocodile eggs involved serious offending.
Legal collection of crocodile egg in the Northern Territory supplies crocodile farms and typically involves helicopter operations, where a collector is lowered by line onto nests in remote wetlands.
In the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday (April 14, 2026), Ruth Champion, representing the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, said that the charges pertaining to the illegal taking of crocodile eggs constituted a serious offence.
She told the court that this took into account the sophistication and complexity associated with the operation, the number of accused acting in concert, the use of a helicopter and the very large number of eggs taken. "We're not talking about one, two or three, but something in the hundreds," she said, as quoted by AAP.
Champion also highlighted the alleged theft’s impact on Traditional Owners, noting the cultural harm they experienced. Defence lawyer Thomas Clelland told the court the case was complex, particularly due to the complex area of DNA analysis. Judge Elizabeth Morris scheduled a five-day hearing from November 30 to December 4, during which 10 witnesses are expected to be called.
The charges have also been levelled against a company, SDRL Pty Ltd, operating under the name Kinga Contracting. The charges relate to obtaining a financial advantage by deception in relation to the case.
The charges linked to egg-stealing charges emerged following a joint investigation by Parks Australia, the Australian Federal Police and the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission, AAP reported. In the Darwin Local Court today Ruth Champion, appearing for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, said the charges of illegally taking crocodile eggs involved serious offending.
Legal collection of crocodile egg in the Northern Territory supplies crocodile farms and typically involves helicopter operations, where a collector is lowered by line onto nests in remote wetlands.
In the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday (April 14, 2026), Ruth Champion, representing the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, said that the charges pertaining to the illegal taking of crocodile eggs constituted a serious offence.
She told the court that this took into account the sophistication and complexity associated with the operation, the number of accused acting in concert, the use of a helicopter and the very large number of eggs taken. "We're not talking about one, two or three, but something in the hundreds," she said, as quoted by AAP.
Champion also highlighted the alleged theft’s impact on Traditional Owners, noting the cultural harm they experienced. Defence lawyer Thomas Clelland told the court the case was complex, particularly due to the complex area of DNA analysis. Judge Elizabeth Morris scheduled a five-day hearing from November 30 to December 4, during which 10 witnesses are expected to be called.