Two women jailed for global monkey torture ring

Two women have been jailed for their part in a global monkey torture ring.

Holly LeGresley and Adriana Orme were sentenced at Worcester Crown Court for their crimes described by a judge as “depraved, sickening and wicked”.

LeGresley, 37, was jailed for two years after admitting that she uploaded 22 images and 132 videos of monkeys being tortured to online chat groups, and making a payment to a PayPal account to encourage cruelty.

Mother-of-three Orme, aged 56, was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment after pleading 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.

Judge James Burbidge KC said Dutch-born Orme and LeGresley, from Upton-upon-Severn and Kidderminster respectively, had joined online chat groups which encouraged torture of monkeys by offenders based in Indonesia.

The judge, who said he had been left “almost in disbelief” by the evidence in the case, told the defendants: “Quite what led you two women of good character and, I am satisfied, some intelligence, to engage in such a forum is beyond comprehension by any right-thinking member of society.”

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.

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. 

“I’m pleased that Le Gresley and Orme will now face justice for their part in this abhorrent and vile cruelty.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the NWCU for their involvement; this has very much been a joint investigation and today’s convictions would not have been possible without their assistance.”

Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, Head of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, added: “Today we have taken another step forward in a large scale and ongoing transnational investigation into the worst cruelty I have ever seen.

“The NWCU would like to thank West Mercia Police for their hard work and dedication on this case.

“LeGresley and Orme acted as more than mere participants in this complex web of unjustifiable torture. They hid behind a veil of secrecy on the internet, assuming that their participation in crimes overseas would not bring the police to their doors in the UK.

“Most investigations where a wild animal has been taken for human use revolve around money. However, this investigation has identified the group were not motivated by finances, instead they were motivated by inflicting as much suffering as possible to these defenceless animals.

“Let this serve as a reminder that wildlife crime exists today in many forms. The NWCU has the expertise, resources, and co-ordination skills to work with UK and international enforcers to bring cases like this to justice.”

Sarah Kite, co-founder of Action for Primates, who was pivotal in providing evidence in this case, said: “I am extremely grateful to West Mercia Police, the National Wildlife Crime Unit and the National Crime Agency for taking action against Orme and LeGresley for their roles in facilitating the torture and killing of baby monkeys.

“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, and to pay for someone to inflict such violence is beyond comprehension. The depravity displayed by members of these online monkey torture groups is utterly horrifying.

“I hope today’s sentence shows those who engage in this behaviour that not only is it abhorrent, it is also a crime, and that the arrests and punishments taking place here in the UK and worldwide will deter others from becoming involved in these perverted and sadistic activities.”

Anyone who sees any content on social media which shows animal cruelty is asked not comment on the post or engage with it as this will increase its visibility.  Instead, members of the public are asked to report the post to the social media platform.  The content can also be reported at https://reportharmfulcontent.com. 

Information relating to animal cruelty can also be passed to the RSPCA or your local police force.  