Two British women have been arrested for their connection to a cruel group that tortured monkeys, including beating them to death, setting them on fire, and even putting them in blenders.
The investigation into the group lasted for one year and was revealed by the BBC, which discovered an international network of cruel individuals who paid people in Indonesia to kill and torture baby long-tailed macaques on video.
Holly LeGresley, 37, from Kidderminster, and Adriana Orme, 55, from Upton-upon Severn, both from the UK, have been charged with sharing a disgusting article and causing unnecessary harm to a protected animal.
Ms LeGresley, who used the name ‘The Immolator’, is accused of commissioning some of the most extreme videos.
The leader, Michael Macartney, 50, known as the ‘Torture King’, was charged in Virginia with plotting to make and spread footage of animal cruelty.
If found guilty, the former motorcycle gang member could spend up to five years in prison.
Prosecutors claim that Macartney ran several group chats on the messaging app Telegram, where he would gather ideas for cruel torture videos before hiring videomakers in Indonesia to carry out these acts.
In an interview with the BBC Eye investigations team, Mr Macartney stated: ‘You want to see monkeys get harmed? I could provide that to you.’
Calling himself ‘king of this demented world’, Macartney told investigators that during his first time in a Telegram monkey group, ‘They had a poll set up.
‘Do you want a hammer involved? Do you want pliers involved? Do you want a screwdriver?’
Other videos showed the baby monkeys being put in blenders or set on fire while still alive.
He added that the resulting footage was ‘the most disgusting thing I have ever seen’.
Prosecutors claim that Macartney collected money and distributed videos that depicted the ‘torture, murder, and sexually sadistic mutilation of animals, specifically juvenile and adult monkeys’.
He is said to have worked with the Department of Homeland Security and is expected to plead guilty to conspiracy charges, which will likely lead to a five-year jail sentence.
More charges are anticipated for some of the other 20 individuals involved in the group.
Two people involved in creating torture videos were arrested and imprisoned in Indonesia, and three women in the UK have been arrested, with two now facing charges.
Secretly recorded footage by the BBC showed monkey torturer M Ajis Rasjana telling an undercover reporter that when he is very angry, he hits the monkeys against the wall.
He mentioned that he banged a monkey’s head against the wall, causing it to bleed from its mouth, which he described as ‘cool’, while laughing.
Other members of the group included Nicole Devilbiss, 35, and former US Air Force official David Christopher Noble, 48, who was previously court-martialed and dismissed from military service. Both are facing up to five years in prison for their roles in the gang.
At least 20 people have been under investigation around the world, with international law enforcement agencies co-ordinating to have them punished for their actions.
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