Customs and Excise officers today launched a court attempt to confiscate more than £400,000 from a North-East parrot breeder who was convicted of smuggling rare birds.

Harry Sissens, 62, was jailed for 30 months in April last year after a jury found him guilty of smuggling three Lear's macaws there are only 150 left in the world and six Blue-headed macaws from east Europe, in the biggest case of its kind to come before a British court.

In all, 140 birds were seized during a raid on his farm at East Cowton, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Teesside Crown Court was told during a confiscation hearing to decide whether he profited from his crime.

Customs and Excise claimed Sissens was involved in a ''massive commercial operation involving the breeding of endangered species using smuggled rare birds'' and had profited by nearly £404,000.

During last year's trial, Sissens claimed he had paid £60,000 for the rare parrots, which Customs and Excise said was a lie.

Simon Draycott, for the Crown, today told the court that Sissen had to prove he made the payment.

Sissens must also prove that £174,000 paid into his bank account over the six years before his conviction was not the spoils of crime.

He will have to show that a further 69 parrots found in his possession when arrested valued at £169,000 were not smuggled from abroad.

Customs officials also want him to account for a further £9,830 transferred to his daughter, Yvonne Scales.

Sissens claims he has not benefited from the offences and his barrister, Simon Farrell, said his client had paid £54,000 duty to Customs and Excise when he brought the nine rare birds into the country.

Updated: 15.23 Tuesday, July 24