A surfer who brought endangered monkey skulls into Britain from a holiday in Africa narrowly escaped a prison sentence at a London court.

Robert Hudson pleaded guilty in March to smuggling baboon, primate and sea turtle skulls into the UK and one count of acquiring a restricted species - the dolphin.

All the bones are protected under international law, designed to end the trade in endangered animals - one of the main causes of extinction.

The 38-year-old, originally from Hertfordshire, was caught with the skulls in his suitcase at Gatwick Airport as he returned from a safari in The Gambia.

The dolphin was found washed up on the beach by his partner. Hudson used the internet to investigate using flesh-eating beetles to clean the bones, the court was told.

Sentencing him yesterday the judge at Southwark Crown Court told Hudson it was quite clear he knew enough about wildlife to know that what he was doing was against the law.

That alone "would have warranted a custodial sentence", he said.

But the fact the skulls were actually of very little worth counted in Hudson's favour.

An expert witness told the court all eight skulls would not have fetched even £50 on the open market, and that it was clear they had not been smuggled to commercial ends.

Other witnesses said Hudson was "not a very good businessman", and that his shop, and the attached museum which included the dolphin skeleton, did not, in fact make enough money for him to get by.

He often had to return to his former employment - as a builder.

Hudson was sentenced to 120 hours community service, and ordered to pay £1500 costs.