A MAN admitted being cruel to reptiles when he appeared before South Tyneside magistrates yesterday.
Mark Newton, 35, of Seton Walk, South Shields, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to animals, including a soft-shelled turtle, a green iguana and a leopard gecko between November 16 and December 16 last year.
He had earlier denied causing unnecessary suffering to reptiles in his home by failing to keep them warm.
He also denied failing to provide a green iguana with a suitable diet, and letting a soft-shelled turtle and leopard gecko suffer pain and disease between the same dates.
The RSPCA yesterday withdrew the second and third charges, and Newton changed his plea to guilty on the first.
Solicitor Judith Curry, for the RSPCA, asked the magistrates to adjoin the case until Friday, when it was due to be heard as a trial.
She said the technical issues raised during the case would mean an opening address of at least an hour.