A WOMAN from Kidderminster has been jailed today (Wednesday, November 13) for her part in a global monkey torture ring in what has been dubbed a landmark case in the UK.
Holly LeGresley, 37, of Kidderminster who was sentenced to two years and Adriana Orme, 55, of Upton-upon Severn, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison alongside her co-conspirator,
Both had previously pleaded guilty at separate hearings to publishing an obscene article and causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
LeGresley and Orme discovered the online monkey hate community during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Their interest and involvement escalated and following intelligence from the National Crime Agency they were arrested by West Mercia Police in September and October 2022 as part of a joint operation with the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU).
The monkey hate community is an online group of people who enjoy watching – and in some cases paying for – videos of monkeys being abused, tortured and killed.
LeGresley and Orme’s interest in the subject was initially through YouTube, but quickly escalated to groups on private messaging platforms such as Telegram and Discord.
Through these groups both women developed links with one of the main organisers of the global ring, a man in the USA called Michael Macartney, known online as ‘The Torture King’.
He was their direct line of contact to the people in Indonesia who carried out and filmed the torture. Earlier this month McCartney, 50, was jailed for three years and four months in the US state of Virginia for his part in the ring.
LeGresley took on the role of ‘admin’ in a group on Telegram which meant she welcomed new members and helped them to access videos and photographs of monkeys being tortured.
She then took her involvement a step further by taking on responsibility for archiving all the content in the Telegram group as well as other groups, leading to a library of thousands of images and videos all showing monkey abuse, torture and killing.
Both women watched the content themselves, and as evidenced by comments within the Telegram group expressed their delight at the images and videos they were viewing. They also regularly shared content.
LeGresley even set up a poll for members of the group to vote on the specific type of torture they would like to see inflicted on the monkeys.
She then directed people on how to make payment for the production of the video, with her and Orme both contributing financially.
The pair were sentenced at Worcester Crown Court.
Detective Chief Inspector Ben Arrowsmith, who led the investigation for West Mercia Police, said: “This is without doubt one of the most disturbing cases that my team and I have ever worked on.
“The hatred and deviant fascination the defendants have shown in relation to the cruelty and abuse towards monkeys is incomprehensible.
“The suffering the animals endured is sickening and sadistic; it’s impossible to comprehend how anyone could find it enjoyable to watch and be part of.
“This is the first time in British legal history that charges relating to animal cruelty have been brought under the Serious Crime Act 2007 for cruelty that took place abroad, but where the offenders are in the UK, making this a landmark case.”
Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, Head of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, described the cruelty in this case as the ‘worst he had ever seen’.
Sarah Kite, co-founder of Action for Primates, who was pivotal in providing evidence in this case, praised all of those involved in bringing the women to justice.
Visit https://reportharmfulcontent.com to report online content of animal cruelty. Alternatively, contact your local police for or the RSPCA.
