Horrifying.
A small tendril global “monkey torture” network has been uncovered in Britain. 37 year-old Kidderminster resident Holly LeGresley, was a member of a private online group that paid for people on the far side of the world, in Indonesia, to torture and kill baby monkeys on video.
The operation was uncovered by a year-long investigation conducted by the BBC Eye team. Members of the team infiltrated the groups in order to expose the existence of this sadistic hobby and the organization that has grown up around it.
Law enforcement measures followed, and LeGresley was arrested and charged for her part in the torture club. The Baldwin Road resident pleaded guilty to charges of causing, consuming, and facilitating the suffering and torture of the monkey babies over the Internet. In her plea, she confessed to uploading 132 videos of monkey torture to chat groups online, as well as 22 images.
The prosecution argued that LeGresley displayed a hatred toward children and pregnant women, and showed a pronounced desire to visit harm on vulnerable creatures.
LeGresley’s group coalesced on the Telegram messaging app, run by an American named Mike Macartney, a former member of a motorcycle game who had previously served time in prison. It was on this app that the group hatched its plans. From there, the group crowdfunded their activities and used the funds raised to commission the monkey torture videos. The group collaborated in brainstorming ideas for custom torture scenarios, including beating the monkeys with tools, setting them on fire, and even grislier activities.
Once formulated, the ideas were sent to the video producers in Indonesia, along with payment. The producers then carried out the scenarios as instructed. Several baby long-tailed macaques died as a result of these activities.
LeGresley went by the username “The Immolator,” and conducted polls to determine the fate of the infant monkeys.
Now that she has entered her guilty plea, LeGresley’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for the 7th of June this year.
