KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — A British woman named Adriana Orme has pleaded guilty to her involvement in a global monkey torture network that was uncovered by a BBC investigation.
According to the British news outlet, the network operated initially on YouTube before transitioning to private groups on Telegram, with Orme playing a significant role in the group that funded the abuse and killing of baby monkeys for pleasure.
Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, head of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, called the case the most heinous he has encountered in his 22 years as an officer.
“We’ve seen the worst that humanity can bring, The animals in this case have been unnecessarily tortured, there's no excuse for it,” he was quoted as saying.
Orme was charged with publishing obscene material and for encouraging or assisting in causing unnecessary suffering to protected animals.
According to the BBC’s investigation, the abuse was carried out by individuals in Indonesia and other Asian countries, who would capture monkeys from the wild.
Members of the network from around the world would discuss and vote on various methods of torture, paying for their preferred options.
The court learned that she had sent one image and 26 videos depicting monkey torture to chat groups between March and June 2022. Additionally, she made a £10 (RM56) payment to view a video of a baby macaque being tortured.
Another woman, Holly Le Gresley, 37, from Kidderminster, UK, was also implicated, and eventually admitted to uploading 22 images and 132 videos of monkey torture in May.
Orme and Le Gresley are scheduled to be sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on October 25.
