A Melbourne mother who put a dead man’s toes in a jar to sell them on the black market had a treasure trove of other “oddities” in her house.

Lilydale woman Joanna Kathlyn Kinman, 48, appeared in Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on Monday to plead guilty to a single charge of offensive conduct involving human remains.

The court heard Kinman worked as a ranger at an animal shelter, where her job involved after-hours collection of stray and seized animals. Leading Senior Constable Melissa Sambrooks said on February 19 last year, two dogs who had partially consumed the toes after their owner died from natural causes were seized and taken for an assessment.

While at the facility where Kinman worked, the dogs became ill and vomited up the remains. Sambrooks said shelter staff cleaned up the vomit and placed it and the remains, which included two human toes, in a general waste bin.

When a distressed staff member left work early, Kinman remained behind to lock up, taking the opportunity to search the wheelie bins. “She located two human toes and took them home and placed them in a jar containing formaldehyde,” Sambrooks said.

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.

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“The jar was positioned among other oddity items, including a guinea 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.

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