Natalie Herron, the Airdrie woman jailed for her role in a global monkey torture ring, has been released from prison after serving only part of her sentence. The Daily Record understands she completed just over half of her original term.
Herron was sentenced to two years and three months at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, after admitting to distributing and possessing obscene publications related to extreme animal abuse. Police described the material as “the most horrific material” they had ever seen.
Gruesome online ring
The paid-for clips showed monkeys being sadistically tortured and killed in Indonesia to create videos circulated online. The footage featured brutal and prolonged torture of monkeys, some of which were just babies. Between December 2021 and September 2022, the videos were shared and watched online as part of an international monkey torture ring.
Herron's arrest in September 2022 followed intelligence provided by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in a cooperative effort with the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Her conviction was a legal first in Scotland, marking the first time anyone in the country had been convicted for involvement in animal cruelty that occurred abroad.
Reaction to release
Her release has been criticised by animal protection group Action for Primates, which spent years investigating online monkey torture groups and previously welcomed her conviction. Co-founder Sarah Kite said: "I am shocked and disappointed to learn that Natalie Herron has subsequently been released from prison before serving her full term.
"Not only was the original sentence inadequate considering the heinous nature of her crime, foreshortening her prison term shows an unacceptable level of leniency towards someone who was a member of such a sadistic online monkey torture group responsible for facilitating the most appalling abuse and killing of baby monkeys in Indonesia for 'entertainment'.
"Her perverted 'enjoyment' at watching helpless baby monkeys being abused and brutalised in the most horrific ways was sickening. Such depraved people need to feel the full force of the law as both a punishment and a deterrent."
Other convictions
Detective Sergeant Karen Murray previously labelled the case "one of the most disturbing and graphic cases" she had worked on. Detective Inspector Mark Harrison of the NWCU added: "The people involved are not just motivated by money, this is also about getting some sort of gratification from watching animals being tortured and then sharing those images with others."
Herron was not the only person convicted as part of the same worldwide network. At Worcester Crown Court in November 2024, Holly LeGresley, 37, of Kidderminster was sentenced to two years and Adriana Orme, 55, of Upton-upon Severn to one year and three months in prison. One of the main organisers of the global ring, Michael Macartney of the USA, known online as ‘The Torture King’, was jailed for three years and four months in the US state of Virginia for his part in the ring.
