Speaking after sentencing, West Mercia Police described it as a landmark case.
Det Ch Insp Ben Arrowsmith said it was the first time in British legal history that “charges relating to animal cruelty have been brought for offences that took place abroad, where the offenders are in the UK”.
“The hatred and deviant fascination the defendants have shown in relation to the cruelty and abuse towards monkeys is incomprehensible,” he said.
“The suffering the animals endured is sickening and sadistic; it’s impossible to comprehend how anyone could find it enjoyable.”
The force said both women had watched the videos, expressed delight at the images and regularly shared material.
Ch Insp Kevin Lacks-Kelly, head of the national wildlife crime unit, said it was the worst cruelty he had ever seen.
Despite this being the latest in a series of high-profile criminal cases, he said that the “transnational investigation” into the global network was still ongoing.
