Shelter worker pleads guilty over plans to sell remains for $400 on black market

The following day, Kinman called her daughter and told her about the toes, saying she had researched selling them on the internet and believed she could get $400 for them.

When police arrived and asked if she had the remains, the court heard Kinman pointed to a glass shelf behind her where the toes were “suspended in a clear liquid”.

“The jar was positioned among other oddity items, including a pig trotter, an alligator claw, a bird skull and baby teeth belonging to the accused’s children,” Sambrooks said.

The court heard further inquiries found Kinman was a member of Bone Buddies Australia, an online group for “skull and bone enthusiasts” to swap and sell specimens or share their finds with others.

Sambrooks said Kinman was an avid contributor to the site and used it to sell a wet still-born kitten and puppy and a book titled the History of Punishment and Torture.

Kinman had also taken part in discussions about dead road kill and a television show focused on the trade of human remains, the police prosecutor said.

The 48-year-old mother of five made full admissions to police about the toes, telling them she was “curious” and was known to collect weird things.

Detective Leading Senior Constable Andrew Austin, from Yarra Ranges police, said the incident had left the deceased person’s family distraught.

The shelter and dog owner cannot be named for legal reasons. The recovered remains were sent to the coroner.

Defence lawyer Rainer Martini said his client had been subjected to online abuse since the incident was made public and had lost her job.

Martini said his it was spontaneous, unplanned behaviour with nothing to suggest she would reoffend. He said Kinman has also expressed enormous regret over her actions.

Kinman will be sentenced at a later time.

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