A GRAVESEND man has been sentenced for trading in illegal ivory.

Michael Elliott, 57, of Singlewell Road, was given two-year suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £1,480 costs.

Leading UK wildlife and conservation groups today praised the police for the prosecution, but warned that it highlights British demand for ivory items.

In one of the largest seizures of ivory made to date by the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit, the confiscated items included 24 whole ivory tusks and dozens of carved items made from elephant, hippo and sperm whale ivory, which are protected from uncontrolled international trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).