Women jailed over sadistic monkey torture videos

Two women have been jailed for their part in a monkey torture ring and behaviour described by the judge as "depraved, sickening and wicked".

Adriana Orme, 56, from Upton-upon-Severn, and Holly Le Gresley, 37, from Kidderminster, had previously admitted being part of the global network.

Worcester Crown Court heard graphic details of the suffering experienced by young macaques in Indonesia - with the footage sold to people around the world.

Le Gresley, who the judge said played a "leading role", was jailed for two years, while Orme was handed a 15-month term.

Warning: This article contains upsetting and disturbing content

More than 130 videos and 22 images were uploaded by Le Gresley, who the court heard had been an archivist, cataloguing and distributing some of the footage.

She also made a payment to a PayPal account to encourage cruelty.

Adriana Orme (left) and Holly Le Gresley (right) previously admitted being part of the network

Orme, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to publishing an obscene article by uploading one image and 26 videos of monkey torture, and to having encouraged or assisted the commission of unnecessary suffering by making a £10 payment to a PayPal account.

The women's roles were exposed after a BBC investigation into the network that began life on YouTube, before it moved to private groups on the messaging app Telegram.

The online group paid for baby long-tailed macaque monkeys to be taken from their mothers and then tortured and killed.

Members even voted on proposed methods.

A protest took place outside the court before the hearing and animal rights campaigners were allowed in the gallery.

People from across the world paid to see the videos of macaques being tortured and killed

Jailing the women, Judge James Burbidge KC described their behaviour as "deplorable, abhorrent and sadistic".

He said their offences went against any sense of compassion and were "beyond comprehension for most of society".

"You promoted the physical torture of monkeys by others, you shared videos and images of such torture and abuse, retained images and videos for what appeared to be your own pleasure and amusement," he said.

He told Le Gresley she had "caused significant pain, torture and death to the monkeys in Indonesia".

In all, police recovered thousands of files from 20 devices owned by the women in a year-long investigation.

Internet chat rooms

The court heard the defendants were in a private chat group run by an administrator in the US, called the "Torture King".

The judge said: “These offences represent a course of conduct by you both that can only be described as depraved, sickening and wicked.

"Using the comfort of your own homes you engaged in chat rooms through the internet.

“Perhaps in that environment you took leave of your senses and any real recognition of reality – as sadly some people appear to do when engaging with others on the internet."

He added: “Why there even exists such a forum is beyond comprehension and a sad indictment to humanity. You promoted the physical torture of monkeys by others and you disseminated videos of such torture and abuse.”

In May, Holly Le Gresley admitted her role in the group

Speaking after the sentencing, West Mercia Police described it as a landmark case.

Det Ch Insp Ben Arrowsmith said it was the first time in British legal history that "charges relating to animal cruelty have been brought for offences that took place abroad, where the offenders are in the UK".

"The hatred and deviant fascination the defendants have shown in relation to the cruelty and abuse towards monkeys is incomprehensible," he said.

"The suffering the animals endured is sickening and sadistic; it's impossible to comprehend how anyone could find it enjoyable."

The force said both women had watched the videos, expressed delight at the images and regularly shared material.

Ch Insp Kevin Lacks-Kelly, head of the national wildlife crime unit, said it was the worst cruelty he had ever seen.

Despite this being the latest in a series of high-profile criminal cases, he said that the "transnational investigation" into the global network was still ongoing.

Le Gresley, who called herself The Immolator, was aware that she could face up to five years in jail, the judge said

In mitigation, Tom Walkling representing Le Gresley, said she had been living with the knowledge of how she had behaved, had a long history of depression and anxiety and was "likely to be diagnosed with autism disorder".

The court also heard Le Gresley now believed she had post-traumatic stress disorder from the videos.

Curtis Myrie, representing Orme, said she had several physical illnesses and described her as "a loving mother and grandmother".

The court also heard how pre-sentence reports recognised how well she had cared for her rescue dog, Diesel.

'Beyond comprehension'

However, the judge disputed several of the claims made by the defence teams and rejected their calls for suspended sentences.

He also referenced Le Gresley's knowledge of the jail time she could face if she was caught, based on comments found by police in a chat.

After the hearing, Sarah Kite, from Action for Primates, who provided evidence, said: "The complete lack of empathy both women showed for the terror and suffering of the monkeys, some just a few days old, is so disturbing.

"To pay for someone to inflict such violence is beyond comprehension."

US-based animal rights group Lady Freethinker, which also helped track the global network, said the "horrors being inflicted on innocent, baby monkeys for online videos are sickening".