Sheffield tiger parts jeweller Catherine Emberton sentenced
A woman who sold jewellery embellished with tiger claws and teeth has been handed a 12-month community order for trading in endangered species.
Catherine Emberton, 29, admitted three offences under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species regulations.
She sold 129 pieces containing tiger parts from her home in Sheffield over an 18-month period.
At the city's crown court, she was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
Emberton, of Gleadless Road, was acquitted of one count of fraud.
Antique exemption claims
In June, officers raided her house, where they recovered 23 claws and 10 teeth, a silversmith's workbench, jewellery-making equipment, as well as claws and teeth set in silver.
Police first discovered she was selling the jewellery on an internet auction site in May.
A large proportion of her jewellery featured tiger teeth and claws, which she was shipping across the globe, detectives said.
South Yorkshire Police said most of her adverts "carried a rider suggesting these were antique... and exempt from any requirement for permits".
"However, the items being sold and offered for sale by Emberton did not qualify for this exemption. Most of the items she was selling were raw teeth or claws set in metal," the force said.
The raid was carried out in conjunction with the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit as part of an investigation into the illegal trade in tiger parts on the internet.