Bartosz Poklek, 30, from Bexley in south-east London, was sentenced to three years and three months in prison at Woolwich Crown Court on 9 October 2026 for his role in a large-scale online monkey torture ring that commissioned and distributed videos of animals being abused.
Judge Christopher Grout criticised the available penalties for extreme animal cruelty, saying the case demonstrated why the five-year maximum for relevant offences should be reconsidered.
The sentence follows an international investigation into online groups where members paid to direct the torture and killing of macaque monkeys in south-east Asia.
According to the prosecution, Poklek helped organise the network, circulated thousands of videos and images, and made requests specifying how some animals should be killed.
Ring Leader Ran an Organised Online Network
Woolwich Crown Court heard that Poklek used the online name 'BP' and operated a chat group called 'BP empire'.
Prosecutor Alex Kettle-Williams described him as a controlling figure in the so-called monkey hate community, whose members exchanged footage of animal abuse and discussed how further acts should be carried out.
The network was not simply a collection of people sharing disturbing videos. When police raided Poklek's home, investigators discovered what they described as an 'operations-command style set-up'.
The groups had members responsible for recruiting participants, cataloguing material and raising funds, with prospective members expected to demonstrate an interest in the abuse before gaining access.
Some users paid to 'adopt' monkeys, allowing them to request particular forms of torture. Prosecutors said Poklek had asked for a stump-tailed monkey to be killed, drafted scripts for videos and repeatedly requested that animals be killed with a hammer.
The investigation uncovered thousands of videos.
Kettle-Williams referred the court to footage including a 39-minute recording in which a baby monkey was allegedly given alcohol, set on fire and restrained with zip ties, as well as another video lasting almost half an hour that showed a baby monkey being tortured with scissors.
The material also raised concerns about animals being dressed in bonnets and nappies and fed from babies' milk bottles.
Monkey torturer who ran online 'cult' that dressed animals as babies and fed them into blenders is jailed for less than four years - and will be out after serving just one-third of that https://t.co/OOdGXomZyu
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) October 9, 2026
Prosecutors said there were concerns that some members viewed monkeys dressed as infants as substitutes for human babies. That concern should not be taken as proof that every person involved shared the same motive.
Judge Questions Sentencing Limits
Poklek admitted running a large-scale monkey torture ring between June 2023 and September 2025.
He also pleaded guilty to publishing obscene videos for gain and offences involving making indecent photographs of a child, as well as drug possession offences.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that his sentence was accompanied by a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order.
Poklek received three years and three months in prison, rather than the three-year term cited in parts of the original report. He is expected to be eligible for release after serving around one-third of his sentence, subject to the applicable release rules.
Eligibility for early release does not mean the sentence has been completed, and release can carry conditions.
Judge Grout said the offending was among the most horrific animal abuse cases he had encountered. He argued that the five-year maximum for relevant animal cruelty offences could be inadequate in cases involving prolonged physical and psychological suffering.
'If ever there was a case that demonstrates that the statutory maximum for animal cruelty is too low, this is it,' the judge said.
He added that it was for Parliament to consider whether the maximum should increase where helpless animals had endured extreme torture, sometimes resulting in their deaths.
Poklek's sentence covered the offences before the court, which included more than animal cruelty alone.
His barrister, Alexia Nicol, said Poklek struggled to explain how he became involved.
She told the court he had sought recognition as an organiser rather than financial gain, describing a man who had become isolated, spent time online and used drugs as the boundaries of his involvement became less clear.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Poklek had been a key figure in a trade that encouraged the torture of monkeys.
Prosecutors worked with British police, the National Wildlife Crime Unit, US Homeland Security Investigations and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to build the case.
Poklek was not the first person in Britain to be jailed over the network.
Peter Stanley, from Liverpool, received a 20-month sentence in September 2024 for publishing obscene material showing the torture of baby macaques.
Two months later, Holly LeGresley was jailed for two years and Adriana Orme for 15 months after admitting offences connected with publishing obscene material and causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
