Briton admits role in global network that aided torture of monkeys

A British woman has pleaded guilty to being part of a global monkey torture network. Holly LeGresley, 37, from Kidderminster, in Worcestershire, admitted uploading 22 images and 132 videos of monkeys being tortured to an online chat group.

LeGresley was charged after a BBC investigation of the torture of monkeys overseas, which exposed a global network involving a private online group paying people in Indonesia to kill and torture baby monkeys on video.

The BBC said LeGresley had the username the Immolator and ran a poll for members of the group to decide the method of torture to be inflicted upon an infant monkey.

Yesterday she pleaded guilty to charges of publishing obscene articles and intentionally encouraging animal cruelty at Worcester magistrates court. The court heard West Mercia police had charged LeGresley after being informed by the National Wildlife Crime Unit, a UK police department.

A second defendant, Adriana Orme, 55, of Ryall, Worcestershire, did not indicate any plea to similar charges. The court was told the women had “not carried out monkey torture themselves”. The prosecutor, Angela Hallan, told the court LeGresley had been charged after being identified as having been part of online chat groups.

Orme is alleged to have published an obscene article by uploading one image and 26 videos of monkey torture between 14 April and 16 June 2022, and to have encouraged or assisted the commission of unnecessary suffering via a £10 payment to a PayPal account on 26 April 2022.

LeGresley admitted uploading images of monkey torture between 25 March and 8 May 2022, and paying £17.24 in to a PayPal account to encourage cruelty.

LeGresley will be sentenced on 7 June. Orme was ordered to appear at a crown court on 5 June.