Women jailed for sadistic monkey torture videos

The two women were jailed for their roles in the monkey torture ring and behavior that the judge described as “depraved, disgusting and evil”.

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

Worcester Crown Court heard stunning details of the suffering of young macaques in Indonesia; all of this was filmed and the footage was sold to people around the world.

Le Gresley, who the judge said played the “leading role”, was sentenced to two years in prison, while Orme was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

Warning: This article contains upsetting and disturbing content.

More than 130 videos and 22 images were uploaded by Le Gresley, who served as the court’s archivist and cataloged and distributed some of the footage.

He also made payments to his PayPal account to promote the persecution.

Orme, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to publishing an obscene article by uploading an image and 26 videos depicting monkey torture and promoting or aiding unnecessary suffering by making a £10 payment to his PayPal account.

Women’s roles emerged later BBC investigation into the networkwhich started life on YouTube before moving to private groups on the messaging app Telegram.

The online group paid to have long-tailed macaque monkeys taken from their mothers, tortured and killed.

Members even voted on the proposed methods.

A protest took place outside the court before the hearing, and animal rights activists were allowed into the gallery.

Jailing the women, Judge James Burbidge KC described their behavior as “deplorable, disgusting and sadistic”.

His crimes, he said, were contrary to any sense of compassion and were “beyond the understanding of the majority of society”.

“You encouraged the physical torture of monkeys by others, shared videos and images of such torture and abuse, and kept images and videos for what appeared to be your own pleasure and entertainment,” he said.

He told Le Gresley that it “caused serious suffering, torture and death to monkeys in Indonesia.”

As a result of a year-long investigation, police recovered thousands of files from 20 devices owned by the women.

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 “animal cruelty charges have been brought for crimes that occurred abroad where the offenders were in the UK”.

“The defendants’ hatred and perverted admiration for the cruelty and abuse of monkeys is incomprehensible,” he said.

“Animal suffering is sickening and sadistic; it is impossible to understand how anyone could find it enjoyable.”

Police said both women watched the videos, expressed satisfaction with the footage, and regularly shared material.

Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, head of the National Wildlife Crime Squad, said it was the worst persecution he had ever seen.

He said that although this was the latest in a series of high-profile criminal cases, the “international investigation” into the global network was still ongoing.

Tom Walkling, representing Le Gresley, said in mitigation that he lived with the knowledge of how he behaved, that he had a long history of depression and anxiety and “is likely to be diagnosed with autism disorder”.

The court also heard Le Gresley now believed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the videos.

Curtis Myrie, representing Orme, described her as a “loving mother and grandmother”, saying she had various physical ailments.

The court also heard pre-sentence reports showed how well he cared for his rescue dog Diesel.

‘Incomprehensible’

But the judge disputed many of the defense teams’ arguments and rejected calls to suspend the sentences.

He also cited his knowledge of the prison sentence Le Gresley could face if caught, based on comments police found in a conversation.

Giving evidence after the hearing, Sarah Kite of Action for Primates said: “The lack of empathy shown by both women for the horror and suffering of the monkeys, some of whom were only a few days old, is deeply disturbing.

“Paying someone to commit such violence is unconscionable.”

US-based animal rights group Lady Freethinker, which also helps monitor the global network, said it was “sickening at the horrors inflicted on innocent, baby monkeys for online videos”.

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