A British woman who helped run a global monkey torture ring has claimed she targeted infant macaques due to her pathological hatred of pregnant women and children.
Holly LeGresley, 37, from Kidderminster, attempted to blame her sadistic offending on a fictitious condition she called “Happy Valley Syndrome” during police interviews.
However, a psychiatrist consulted by officers confirmed the disorder did not exist and LeGresley was not suffering from any severe mental health conditions.
The reclusive woman acted as “archivist” for an online chat group that arranged for macaques to be tortured overseas, using the moniker “The Immolator”.
The reclusive woman acted as “archivist” for an online chat group that arranged for macaques to be tortured overseas, using the moniker “The Immolator”
PA
Under her online alias, LeGresley uploaded 132 videos and 22 pictures showing macaques being maimed with power tools, burnt alive and doused with acid, creating a voting mechanism allowing group members to decide their preferred methods of torture and death.
In one instance, she suggested putting a monkey in a blender while clothed to “make the death more drawn out”.
Her obsession led her to compile an archive of 65 folders containing 3,000 images and videos, meticulously classified by torture type.
She also arranged a whip-round for members who funded videos, praising one for “delivering one of the best videos we’ve seen for a long time”.
LeGresley was handed a jail sentence for two years at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to publishing an obscene article and causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
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Her co-defendant Adriana Orme, 56, a married mother of three from Upton-upon-Severn, received 15 months for sending one image and 26 videos of monkey torture.
Judge James Burbidge KC described their offences as “depraved, sickening and wicked”.
“Why there even exists such a forum is beyond comprehension and a sad indictment to humanity,” the judge told the defendants.
During the two-and-a-half-hour hearing, LeGresley sobbed in the dock and asked for water, temporarily halting proceedings.
Det Ch Insp Ben Arrowsmith from West Mercia Police said LeGresley refused to take responsibility for her role in facilitating the torture during interviews.
Police described her as a recluse who found refuge in an online community that offered her status and worth.
The investigation into the torture ring was sparked by a year-long BBC probe and work by animal rights campaigners (Stock)
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Chief Inspector Lacks-Kelly from the National Wildlife Crime Unit explained: “She’s got into this network, this community, and that raised her value by carrying out the roles, the administrator, welcoming people.”
“Doing the archiving has raised her value as a community individual and then couple that with this hatred for pregnant women and children… she could almost be her authentic self,” he added.
The investigation into the torture ring was sparked by a year-long BBC probe and work by British animal rights campaign group Action for Primates.
The group’s leader, Mike Macartney – a 50-year-old American former motorcycle gang member known as “the Torture King” – was jailed for three years and four months in October.
The torture videos were commissioned from contacts in Indonesia and Thailand, occasionally for as little as £10.
Disturbingly, much of the footage has remained accessible on YouTube and other video sharing platforms.
Police said their attempts to contact Telegram about the group’s activities did not receive a reply.
