The ringleader of an international network of online 'zoo sadists' has been jailed for more than three years - but will be freed after serving just one-third of that.
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ringleader → jail → that
Bartosz Poklek, 30, led an online 'cult' dedicated to torturing and killing monkeys for entertainment, and distributed 'horrific' cruelty videos which sold for up to 500 dollars a time.
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which → lead → dollars
Among his cruelty and torture, he wrote scripts for how the animals should be mutilated, dismembered and tortured, and directed the way the monkeys would be killed, including them being clubbed to death with a hammer.
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them → write → hammer
The ruling judge said upon handing him a three-year prison sentence that Parliament should reconsider its penalties for animal abuse, which currently has a five-year maximum.
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which → rule → maximum
Poklek will be set free after serving around a third of his prison sentence.
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Poklek → set → sentence
The judge said: 'If ever there was a case that demonstrates that the statutory maximum for animal cruelty is too low, this is it.'
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this → say → cruelty
Woolwich Crown Court heard how Poklek, from Bexley in south-east London, played a leading role in the 'monkey hate' online community, running chat groups and distributing thousands of 'abuse on demand' videos and images.
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Poklek → hear → videos
Some of the monkeys were also dressed up as babies as they were violently attacked, sparking growing concerns that the animals are being used as 'proxies' by people who want to view sadist abuse of children.
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who → dress → children
On Friday, Poklek was sentenced by Judge Christopher Grout to three years and three months in prison.
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Poklek → sentence → prison
Bartosz Poklek (pictured) will only serve a third of his three-year prison sentence for animal abuse
Monkeys were sold to people online, who then dictated how they wanted them tortured and killed.
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them → picture → people
Pictured: Poklek holding wad of cash in front of picture of monkey
The judge laid out details of the 'despicable' online community, telling the court: 'It is no exaggeration to say that as a lawyer or as a judge I have never encountered such a horrific case of animal abuse in my life.
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I → picture → life
The facts of the offending are truly appalling, likely to cause distress to anyone listening to or reading about them.
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facts → cause → them
There is a vile underground community who have a hatred of monkeys, particularly baby monkeys, and take pleasure in seeing such monkeys being tortured and killed.'
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monkeys → be → pleasure
The court heard the abuse is taking place in south-east Asia, with macaque monkeys subjected to prolonged torture on camera for viewers online around the world.
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monkeys → hear → world
The judge said 'zoo sadists' are recruited to the network after showing an interest in animal abuse material posted on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, before being invited to more secure platforms like Discord and Telegram.
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sadists → say → Discord
Some of the users paid to 'adopt' a monkey so they could direct how the torture took place, and those involved in the network could send in suggestions for the sadistic abuse.
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those → pay → abuse
Prosecutor Alex Kettle-Williams told the court Poklek styled himself as 'BP' online, he ran one chat group titled 'BP empire', and he was 'a controlling figure in what is known as the 'monkey hate community'.
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what → tell → community
Ms Kettle-Williams said police uncovered evidence that Poklek had made a request for the killing of a stump-tailed monkey, drafted scripts of how the videos would be made, and made repeated requests for death by hammer.
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videos → say → hammer
Other members of the monkey torture group who were jailed over their involvement in the 'cult'
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who → jail → cult
She said: 'There are requests and conversations about how the death should be carried out after significant torture.'
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death → say → torture
The prosecutor said police had found thousands of videos while investigating Poklek, and as examples of the abuse she pointed the judge to a 39-minute video of a baby monkey being tortured by being plied with alcohol, set on fire, and bound with zip ties.
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monkey → say → ties
In a second video lasting almost half an hour, another baby monkey was mutilated with scissors while clearly still alive.
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monkey → last → scissors
Poklek was captured after he tried to get hold of court documents from a monkey torture criminal case in the US.
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he → capture → US
After an investigation involving British police from the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the Metropolitan Police, West Mercia Police, and officials from the US Homeland Security Investigations and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Poklek admitted running a 'large-scale monkey torture ring' between June 2023 and September 2025.
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Poklek → involve → June
He also pleaded guilty to publishing obscene videos for gain, as well as possession of indecent images of children and possession of ketamine.
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He → plead → ketamine
Ms Kettle-Williams said Poklek's possession of child abuse images and videos had been mirrored in the cases brought against others involved in monkey torture around the world.
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possession → say → world
She said police had gathered evidence that monkeys are sometimes dressed in bonnets and nappies, and fed with a babies' milk bottle.
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monkeys → say → bottle
There is a concern that monkeys are being seen as 'proxy infants' by users interested in violent child abuse.
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monkeys → be → abuse
Alexia Nicol, representing Poklek, told the court he 'finds it difficult to explain how he became involved in this'.
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he → represent → this
She said he was seeking 'kudos' as an organiser of the network, rather than money, and added: 'He is someone who was in isolation, sitting on the internet, using drugs, and in effect slipped further into a world where the boundaries became less and less clear.'
Adeolu Odusote, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Bartosz Poklek was a key cog in a vile trade that oversaw and encouraged the sickening torture of monkeys.
'Treating vulnerable animals in this way is a horrifying practice that must be rooted out wherever it's found.
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it → say → way
We're grateful for the extensive efforts of both our domestic and international partners in helping us build the strongest possible prosecution against him.
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us → help → him
This resulted in Poklek pleading guilty to the crimes for which he has now been sentenced.'
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he → result → which
RSPCA Special Operations Unit Chief Will Mitchell said: 'Treating animals in this way is absolutely not acceptable and has no place in a modern society that is largely made up of kind, compassionate animal lovers.
'
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that → say → lovers
Sadly, our figures show that more than one in five people have witnessed avoidable animal suffering online and this rises to 32 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds.
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this → show → olds
'If the public encounters animal cruelty content online, they should report it directly to the platform themselves, who under the Online Safety Act now have new obligations to tackle illegal content glorifying or promoting animal abuse.'
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who → encounter → abuse
Poklek is the latest man to be sentenced in connection with the group.
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Poklek → sentence → group
Peter Stanley, of Knotty Ash, Liverpool, was jailed for 20 months in September 2024 for publishing obscene articles by sharing Facebook videos that showed the torture of baby long-tailed macaque monkeys.
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that → jail → monkeys
Stanley, 44, was arrested following the broadcast of a BBC documentary, called The Monkey Haters, which uncovered the existence of streaming videos containing the torture of baby monkeys.
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which → arrest → monkeys
Two women were jailed at Worcester Crown Court for their involvement in the ring two months later.
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women → jail → ring
Holly LeGresley, 41, of Kidderminster, was jailed for two years and Adriana Orme, 57, of Upton-upon-Severn was locked up for 15 months.
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Orme → jail → months
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
