Two face jail over sale of monkey meat

TWO London shopkeepers are today facing jail after being found guilty of smuggling and selling the meat of an endangered monkey in the first case of its kind in Britain.

For five years the illicit bushmeat business proved to be a "goldmine" for Mobolaji Osakuade and his partner Rose Kinnane, bringing them in thousands of pounds at their shop in Dalston Market, Hackney.

Southwark Crown Court heard that Osakuade even boasted of being able to get a human head - for the right price - and a whole lion for 5,000.

A freezer in their cluttered shop, called Mercyland Trading, also held antelopes, porcupines, goats, cane rats and large live snails from West Africa.

The pair were jointly charged with the smuggling and attempted sale of the Tantalus monkey; a Pangolin - a type of scaly anteater; a python skin; lizard skins and a handbag crafted from lizard skin at their shop.

Osakuade, 40, who pleaded guilty to charges relating to the monkey, was only found not guilty on charges connected to the anteater. The jury could not reach a verdict on charges relating to the lizard skin handbag faced by Kinnane, 35, who denied all 12 counts.

These will be kept on file.

The illegal trading was exposed by an undercover reporter, armed with a covert camera, posing as the heir to the throne of a village in Nigeria.

He said he wanted the head, left-hand and heart of a monkey for a ritual dinner to impress his uncle, who was chief.

Osakuade told the court that bush-meat was sold all over London and, when he was approached by the reporter, Eddie Achunche, he rang three or four shops to see if they had monkey available.

He said: "I have lived in this country for 15 years, there are many African shops in London that sell bushmeat."

But all meat from Nigeria is banned and deemed unfit for human consumption due to diseases such as foot-and-mouth, the deadly ebola virus and anthrax.

The bushmeat trade is also helping to accelerate the extinction of at least 40 endangered species.

Stephen Brend of the International Primate Protection League said: "I was horrified this was coming into the UK. Bushmeat trade is the single largest threat to the survival of monkeys and apes. It is a vile trade that has to be stamped out."

The smoked monkey had been cut into four pieces when handed over to Mr Achunche to make it easier to smuggle through Customs. Kinnane even suggested a recipe for pepper soup when the Tantalus monkey was sold for 350 in October 1999.

Both defendants were today held in custody until 20,000 each is provided as surety. They will appear for sentence at the Old Bailey on 15 June.

Copyright 2001
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