The ringleader of an international torture network of 'zoo sadists' dedicated to torturing and killing monkeys for entertainment has been jailed. Bartosz Poklek, 30, from Bexley in south-east London, distributed 'horrific' cruelty videos which were sold for up to $500 a time.
Poklek wrote scripts for how the animals should be mutilated, dismembered, and tortured, and directed the way the monkeys would be killed. Woolwich Crown Court heard that he played a leading role in the 'monkey hate' online community, running chat groups and distributing thousands of 'abuse on demand' videos and images.
Judge describes case as 'truly appalling'
Poklek was sentenced by Judge Christopher Grout to three years and three months in prison on Friday (October 9). Judge Grout told 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 informed the court that Poklek will be set free after serving around a third of his prison sentence. He also put pressure on Parliament to consider toughening the 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.
Abuse took place in south-east Asia
The abuse is taking place in south-east Asia, with macaque monkeys subjected to prolonged torture on camera for viewers online around the world, the court heard. Judge Grout said 'zoo sadists' are recruited to the network after showing an interest in animal abuse material posted on YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.
They are then invited to more secure platforms like Discord and Telegram. The judge noted that some of the users paid to 'adopt' a monkey so they could direct how the torture took place. Those involved in the network could send in suggestions for the abuse.
Prosecutor Alex Kettle-Williams told the court that Poklek styled himself as 'BP' online, and that he ran one chat group titled 'BP empire'. Ms Kettle-Williams stated that Poklek was 'a controlling figure in what is known as the "monkey hate community"'.
Police found thousands of videos
Police uncovered evidence that Poklek had made a request for the killing of a stump-tailed monkey, drafted scripts of how the videos would be made, and made repeated requests for death by hammer, Ms Kettle-Williams said. She said: "There are requests and conversations about how the death should be carried out after significant torture."
While police were investigating Poklek, they found thousands of videos, including a 39-minute video of a baby monkey being tortured. Poklek was captured after he tried to get hold of 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 admitted to running a 'large-scale monkey torture ring' between June 2023 and September 2025.
Guilty pleas and concerns over child abuse links
Additionally, Poklek pleaded guilty to publishing obscene videos for gain, as well as possession of indecent images of children and possession of ketamine. Ms Kettle-Williams said Poklek's possession of child abuse images and videos had been mirrored in the cases brought against others involved in monkey torture around the world.
She added that police had gathered evidence that monkeys are sometimes dressed in bonnets and nappies, and fed with a babies' milk bottle. She told the court that there is a concern that monkeys are being 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'. "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," she said.
Adeolu Odusote, of the Crown Prosecution Service, stated: "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."
RSPCA Special Operations Unit Chief Will Mitchell said: "Treating animals in this way is absolutely not acceptable and has no place in a modern society that is largely made up of kind, compassionate animal lovers. Sadly, our figures show that more than one in five people have witnessed avoidable animal suffering online and this rises to 32% of 18 to 24-year-olds.
"If the public encounters animal cruelty content online, they should report it directly to the platform themselves, who under the Online Safety Act now have new obligations to tackle illegal content glorifying or promoting animal abuse."
