Man illegally sold skull of porpoise on internet site

Sep 25 2008 by Michelle Coyle, North Wales Weekly News

A MAN who illegally sold a porpoise skull on eBay has pledged never to trade on the internet site again.

Christopher Mellenchip, 44, of Top Road, Trefriw, admitted selling the skull of a harbour porpoise skull, which is banned under European rulings on the trading of endangered animals.

North Wales Police were tipped off by the internet auction site eBay after Mellenchip put the painted harbour porpoise’s skull under the hammer without the mandatory certification.

Llandudno magistrates were told the auction ended on April 27 with an Italian man making the winning bid of £98.50.

Wildlife and environment officer Sgt Rob Taylor ordered that the offending item be returned from Italy.

Experts at the Countryside Council for Wales in Bangor say the skull was from an endangered porpoise which died after 1947 and as such it required documentation to be sold legitimately.

Mellenchip has a large collection of skulls, many them birds, housed in a spare room in his home.

The porpoise skull was sold to make room for his mother-in-law who was moving in with him and his wife.

It had been passed on to Mellenchip by a deceased aunt who also collected skulls.

Mellenchip maintained he did not realise the porpoise skull needed a certificate, but the prosecution questioned this as he had known that a lion’s skull from 1928 he had legitimately sold on eBay did not require certification.

Mellenchip was ordered to pay £60 costs and the skull was retained by North Wales Police.

michelle.coyle