Brit woman dubbed ‘The Immolator’ admits to part in monkey torture network where animals are killed for sexual thrills
7 May 2024, 13:30
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
A British woman has pleaded guilty to being part of a monkey torture network where animals were killed for sexual thrills.
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Holly LeGresley, 37, from Kidderminster, led a secret life under the username 'The Immolator' in an online group that paid people in Indonesia to kill and torture baby monkeys on video.
She admitted to publishing an obscene article and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal at Worcester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
LeGresley published 22 images and 132 monkey torture videos to the online group.
The court was told that the case against LeGresley should be transferred to Worcester Crown Court because magistrates' powers of punishment were insufficient.
Prosecutor Angla Hallan told the court: "The Crown submit that due to the unusual legal, procedural and factual complexity of this particular case, that the matter would not be suitable to be dealt with in these courts."
Although she did not open detailed facts of the case, Ms Hallan said it fell into the category of "sadism and high harm".
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Meanwhile, co-defendant Adriana Orme, 55, from Upton-upon Severn, indicated no plea to the charges.
Orme is alleged to have published an obscene article by uploading one image and 26 videos of monkey torture between April 14 and the June 16 2022, and to have encouraged or assisted the commission of unnecessary suffering by making a £10 payment to a PayPal account on April 26 2022.
The court was told the women had "not carried out monkey torture themselves".
The pair were released on conditional bail.
It came after a year-long BBC investigation found the cruel ring was operating around the world with hundreds paying Indonesians to torture and kill infant long-tailed macaques.
Torture methods included setting the animals on fire and putting them in blenders.
The investigation found that LeGresley once ran a poll for members of the group to decide on a method of torture for an infant monkey.
The case against Orme was transferred to the Crown Court, where she was ordered to appear on June 5.
LeGresley will face sentence at the higher court on June 7.
