A man who sold illegal animal parts on eBay and collected dozens of pornographic bestiality images has escaped an immediate prison term.

George Bush, 63, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday after he admitted offering illegal animal parts for sale, including two leopard cat skulls, four monkey heads, the skeleton of a baby crab-eating macaque, and 134 primate specimens.

Bush was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Wildlife Crime Unit, who were acting on a tip-off from the UK Border Force.

He was detained on January 24 last year on suspicion of selling illegally imported protected species on eBay, in breach of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Bush, of Riverdale Road, Erith, also pleaded guilty to possession of 71 extreme pornographic images involving animals.

He received a prison sentence of ten months for selling the animal parts, and a further four months for possessing the extreme pornography, suspended for two years.

The Wildlife Crime Unit also managed to track down the illegal supplier of the endangered species in Indonesia, who was dealt with by police in East Java.

Detective Constable Sarah Bailey, of the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit, said: "This case shows that strong controls are in place to protect endangered species and the police will take action against anyone found to be trading illegally.

"Illegal trade threatens many species' survival. I would urge anyone who sees specimens from protected wildlife for sale to contact police.

"We are committed to ensuring that anyone in London who is trading illegally in endangered animal parts is stopped."

Grant Miller, Border Force CITES lead, added: "As the variety of species involved in this case shows, the illegal movement of endangered wildlife is part of an illicit and often cruel trade that Border Force, together with our partners in the UK and internationally, is determined to stop.

"Those illegally trading in wildlife products should be in no doubt – we will target you at the UK border and beyond."