Bartosz Poklek, 30, from Bexley in south-east London, has been jailed for three years and three months for leading an international network that tortured and killed monkeys, with a judge calling it the worst animal abuse he had ever seen.
Poklek distributed "horrific" cruelty videos that sold for up to 500 dollars each. He wrote scripts for how the animals should be mutilated, dismembered, and tortured, and directed how the monkeys would be killed, including being clubbed to death with a hammer.
Leading role in 'monkey hate' community
Woolwich Crown Court heard Poklek played a leading role in the "monkey hate" online community, running chat groups and distributing thousands of "abuse on demand" videos and images. Some monkeys were dressed as babies as they were violently attacked, raising concerns that animals are being used as "proxies" by people who want to view sadistic abuse of children.
Sentencing on Friday, Judge Christopher Grout said: "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."
Judge calls for tougher penalties
The judge said Poklek will be released after serving around a third of his sentence. He also urged Parliament to consider toughening penalties for animal abuse, which currently have a five-year maximum. "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 heard the abuse takes place in south-east Asia, with macaque monkeys subjected to prolonged torture on camera for viewers worldwide. The judge said "zoo sadists" are recruited after showing interest in animal abuse material posted on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, before being invited to more secure platforms like Discord and Telegram. Some users paid to "adopt" a monkey to direct how the torture took place, and network members could send in suggestions for the abuse.
Investigation and guilty plea
Prosecutor Alex Kettle-Williams told the court Poklek styled himself as "BP" online, ran a chat group titled "BP empire", and was "a controlling figure in what is known as the 'monkey hate community'". Police found evidence that Poklek had requested the killing of a stump-tailed monkey, drafted scripts for videos, and made repeated requests for death by hammer. She said: "There are requests and conversations about how the death should be carried out after significant torture."
Police found thousands of videos while investigating Poklek, including a 39-minute video of a baby monkey being plied with alcohol, set on fire, and bound with zip ties, and another almost half an hour long showing a baby monkey being mutilated with scissors while still alive.
Poklek was caught after trying to obtain court documents from a monkey torture criminal case in the US. Following an investigation involving the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the Metropolitan Police, West Mercia Police, 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. He also pleaded guilty to publishing obscene videos for gain, possession of indecent images of children, and possession of ketamine.
Ms Kettle-Williams said Poklek's possession of child abuse images mirrored cases against others involved in monkey torture worldwide. Police gathered evidence that monkeys are sometimes dressed in bonnets and nappies and fed with a baby's milk bottle, with concerns that monkeys are seen as "proxy infants" by users interested in violent child abuse.
Alexia Nicol, representing Poklek, told the court he "finds it difficult to explain how he became involved in this". She said he sought "kudos" as an organiser rather than money, adding: "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. 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."
