Paedo monkey torturer filmed child animal being ‘set alight whereas certain with zip ties’

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Bartosz Poklek, 30, ran a large-scale monkey torture ring and distributed ‘abuse on demand’ videos for up to $500 a time. Some of the monkeys were dressed as infants

The mastermind behind an international network of “zoo sadists” devoted to torturing and killing monkeys for pleasure has been sentenced to more than three years behind bars. He was also found with sick child abuse images.

Bartosz Poklek, 30, circulated “horrific” cruelty footage which fetched up to $500 each, penned scripts detailing how the creatures should be mutilated, dismembered and tortured, and orchestrated the manner in which the monkeys would be slaughtered, including being bludgeoned to death with a hammer.

Woolwich Crown Court was told Poklek, from Bexley in south-east London, held a commanding position within the “monkey hate” online community, operating chat groups and circulating thousands of “abuse on demand” videos and images.

Some of the monkeys were also clothed as infants while being brutally attacked, raising mounting fears that the creatures are being exploited as “proxies” by individuals seeking to witness sadistic abuse of children.

On Friday, Poklek received a sentence of three years and three months imprisonment from Judge Christopher Grout. The judge outlined 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.

“The facts of the offending are truly appalling, likely to cause distress to anyone listening to or reading about 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.”

The judge stated that Poklek will be released after serving approximately a third of his prison sentence, and he also urged Parliament to contemplate harsher penalties for animal abuse, which currently carry a maximum sentence of five years.

“If ever there was a case that demonstrates that the statutory maximum for animal cruelty is too low, this is it,” he said. The court was informed that the abuse is occurring in south-east Asia, with macaque monkeys enduring extended torture on camera for an international online audience.

The judge explained that “zoo sadists” are drawn into the network after showing interest in animal abuse material posted on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, before being invited onto more secure platforms like Discord and Telegram.

He revealed that some users paid to “adopt” a monkey so they could dictate the manner of the torture, and those involved in the network could submit suggestions for the sadistic abuse.

Prosecutor Alex Kettle-Williams told the court that Poklek, known as “BP” online, managed one chat group titled “BP empire”, and was “a controlling figure in what is known as the ‘monkey hate community'”.

Ms Kettle-Williams reported that police discovered evidence that Poklek had requested the killing of a stump-tailed monkey, drafted scripts detailing how the videos would be produced, and repeatedly called for death by hammer. She said: “There are requests and conversations about how the death should be carried out after significant torture.”

The prosecutor revealed that police had uncovered thousands of videos during their investigation into Poklek, and as examples of the cruelty, she directed the judge to a 39-minute video of a baby monkey being tortured by being given alcohol, set alight, and bound with zip ties.

In another nearly half-hour long video, a different baby monkey was horrifically mutilated with scissors while clearly still alive. Poklek was apprehended after he attempted to access court documents from a monkey torture criminal case in the US.

Following 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 confessed to operating a “large-scale monkey torture ring” between June 2023 and September 2025.

He also admitted to publishing obscene videos for profit, as well as possession of indecent images of children and possession of ketamine. Ms Kettle-Williams noted that Poklek’s possession of child abuse images and videos mirrored those found in cases brought against others involved in monkey torture globally.

She stated that police had collected evidence showing monkeys are sometimes dressed in bonnets and nappies, and fed with a babies’ milk bottle, raising concerns that monkeys are being viewed as “proxy infants” by users interested in violent child abuse.

Alexia Nicol, who is representing Poklek, told the court that he “finds it difficult to explain how he became involved in this”. She suggested he was seeking “kudos” as an organiser of the network, rather than financial gain, 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, from 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.

“We’re grateful for the extensive efforts of both our domestic and international partners in helping us build the strongest possible prosecution against him. This resulted in Poklek pleading guilty to the crimes for which he has now been sentenced.”

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