London man sentenced to over three years for running global monkey torture ring

Bartosz Poklek, a 30-year-old resident of Bexley, received a sentence of three years and three months for his central role in an international network that commodified the torture and killing of monkeys. The court heard he operated chat groups, distributed thousands of graphic files, and sold videos for as much as $500, while also coordinating “abuse on demand” productions. Investigators linked the network’s activities to Southeast Asian macaques, noting that victims were sometimes dressed as infants, suggesting a disturbing link to child-abuse material.

Judge Christopher Grout condemned the cruelty as unprecedented in his career and called for tougher animal-abuse laws, which currently cap at five years. Poklek also admitted to publishing obscene videos for profit, possessing child-abuse images, and holding ketamine, charges that were highlighted alongside the animal-cruelty offenses.