Two women have been jailed for taking part in an online group of people who enjoy watching, buying and selling videos of monkeys being abused, tortured and killed

Two women have been jailed at Worcester Crown Court UK, for their part in a global monkey torture ring. Holly LeGresley, 37, of Kidderminster was sentenced to two years and Adriana Orme, 55, of Upton-upon Severn to one year and three months in prison. Both had previously pleaded guilty at separate hearings to publishing an obscene article and causing unnecessary suffering to animals.

Adriana Orme (left) and Holly Le Gresley (right) previously admitted being part of the network 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. Anyone who sees any content on social media which shows animal cruelty should not comment on the post or engage with it as this will increase its visibility.  Instead, please 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.   Full release - https://www.westmercia.police.uk/news...

US man who sent out 'Wish List' of monkey torture ideas is jailed on 'Crush' charges: using a clamp to slowly crush their skulls, smashing genitals, pulling all their teeth( list of frequent prosicutions)

 

Infant long-tailed macaque abused on social media
Action for Primates

Action for Primates and Lady Freethinker have welcomed the jail sentence handed to Drexel Venero, a US individual, convicted of Conspiracy to Create and Distribute Animal Crushing Videos.

Venero, from Maryland and who had pleaded guilty to the charges, has received an 18-month sentence with three years' supervised release. Using various names, including "Mr Ape", Venero created his own private online groups on an encrypted messaging platform for the purpose of creating and distributing animal crush videos depicting the horrifying torture and killing of baby monkeys. Venero joined with co-conspirators to pay for and have torture videos made for the group by people in Indonesia. At one point, he sent out a "wish list" of torture requests which, according to court documents, included hammering a monkey's limbs until they were flat; smashing their genitalia; pulling their teeth; cutting off their eyelids; and using a C-clamp to crush their skull slowly.

This sentencing is the latest in a series of arrests, convictions and imprisonment following Action for Primate's and Lady Freethinker's work exposing a monkey torture group called "Million Tears"—led by Ohio man and former school teacher Ronald Bedra, who went by the online alias "DemonSwordSoulCrusher". Bedra was recently sentenced to 54 months in prison for conspiracy to create and spread monkey torture videos. Bedra was a leader in an online group called "Million Tears", which commissioned the sexual abuse, torture and killing of infant monkeys. The evidence uncovered during an investigation by Action for Primates and Lady Freethinker—including videos and screenshots of chats from him and other group members—was handed over to the US authorities.

Members of the "Million Tears" group could pay for their own "private monkey" to be filmed while being tortured through the member's chosen method, or several members could make smaller contributions towards a fee for their share of a "community monkey"—which allowed participants to request specific, depraved acts of cruelty and torture to be inflicted on this shared monkey and decide how the monkey was to be killed.

Following "Million Tears", various other groups sprung up dedicated to the torture, mutilation, and killing of infant long-tailed macaques.

Action for Primates and Lady Freethinker assisted Homeland Security Investigations with its investigation into Drexel Venero. Venero's sentencing follows that of Virginia man Michael Macartney, known online as "The Torture King", who was recently sentenced to 40 months in prison for his role in a global monkey torture ring. Macartney was featured in the BBC documentary The Monkey Haters—for which Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates provided intelligence and information.

Baby monkey torture videos are often purchased through encrypted chats on Telegram, using cryptocurrency and other online payment methods. The videos have been re-posted on major social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube.

Creating and distributing "animal crush" videos is a federal crime in the US, punishable by up to seven years in prison under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT Act). Prosecutions in the US and UK span late 2023 through April 2025—and more are expected to follow. They include:

• Dec 2023—Kenneth Herrera, a Wisconsin pharmacist, sentenced to one year in prison for creating, selling and distributing an animal crushing video
• April 2024—David Christopher Noble of Oregon, sentenced to 48 months for conspiracy to engage in animal crushing
• June 2024—Nicole Devilbiss of Florida, sentenced to four years and three months for conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos
• June 2024—Nicholas T. Dryden of Ohio and Giancarlo Morelli of New Jersey, charged for their roles in crush videos—Dryden's charges include distribution and receipt of a visual depiction of the sexual abuse of children because a minor was paid to abuse the monkeys
• September 2024—Peter Stanley in the UK, sentenced to 20 months in prison for his role in the spread of torture videos, including depicting the sexual abuse of baby monkeys
• October 2024—"Torture King" Michael Macartney of Virginia, sentenced to 40 months in prison for role in monkey torture ring
• October 2024— "Demon Sword Soulcrusher" Ronald Bedra of Ohio, sentenced to 54 months in prison for creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys
• November 2024—Holly LeGresley in the UK, sentenced to two years in prison for publishing obscene articles and intentionally encouraging animal cruelty
• November 2024—Adriana Orme in the UK, sentenced to 15 months in prison for publishing obscene articles and facilitating the torture of monkeys
• February 2025—Jeffrey Radtke of Minnesota, sentenced to 21 months and three years supervised release for conspiracy to create and distribute animal crushing videos
• January 2025—Stacey Storey of US, pleads guilty to charges of with conspiracy to create and distribute animal crushing videos and alleged to have amassed over 675 monkey crush and abuse videos

Additionally, several people in Indonesia have been sent to prison for their involvement in the torture and killing of monkeys:

• December 2022—Asep Yadi Nurul Hikmah charged with animal torture and the sale of a protected species and sentenced to three years in prison
• 2023—M Ajis Rasjana sentenced to eight months—the maximum sentence available for torturing an animal
• August 2024—Romy Sasmita sentenced to seven months for animal abuse and one year for other offences

Sarah Kite, co-founder, Action for Primates, stated: We welcome the prison sentences handed down to Venero and others involved in facilitating the violent and sadistic torture and killing of baby monkeys. These people need to know that there are legal consequences to their vile and depraved activities. We sincerely hope this prosecution and punishment will act as an important deterrent to others.

Nina Jackel, founder, Lady Freethinker, stated: The immense suffering inflicted on helpless infant macaques purely for human 'amusement' in these underground groups is heartbreaking and must not be tolerated. I'm grateful to law enforcement for their diligent work in investigating these brutal acts and seeking justice.

British man to be jailed for the online posting of monkey torture videos belonged to several groups on Facebook, showing baby monkeys brutalised in extreme and sadistic ways for online ‘entertainment’, including genital mutilation.

www.actionforprimates.org

There has been widespread reporting of the prison sentence handed down to Peter Stanley, who is the first British person to be jailed for the online posting of monkey torture videos. Stanley, who belonged to several groups on Facebook, posted videos depicting baby monkeys brutalised in extreme and sadistic ways for online ‘entertainment’, including genital mutilation. The videos were accompanied by sickening comments posted by Stanley, making light of the monkeys’ obvious suffering and distress.

Jailing Stanley, Judge Ian Harris at Liverpool Crown Court said: "These offences are utterly repellent and have no place in a civilised society." Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, head of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit said "These crimes are committed behind a veil of secrecy by so called 'communities' and I hope the sentencing shows there is no place to hide for animal abusers.”

Action for Primates alerted the UK police to the activities of Peter Stanley as part of our joint investigative work with Lady Freethinker to expose those people involved in despicable online monkey torture groups.

Two other people in the UK, Holly LeGresly and Adriana Orme, are due to be sentenced in October for their role in paying for and ordering the horrific torture of baby monkeys in Indonesia to make videos to circulate in their Telegram group.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Man-42-posted-baby-monkey...

https://www.itv.com/.../man-posted-horrific-monkey...

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/.../parents-called-him...

dailymail.co.uk

Law firm worker is first Brit to be jailed over monkey torture clips

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Peter Stanley, 42, shared 'repellent' videos of baby monkeys being horrifically tortured and has become the first Brit to be jailed over such clips.

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