In a landmark case for the north west, a man has been jailed for distributing videos of baby monkeys being tortured in a disturbing private Facebook group, marking the first prosecution of its kind in the region. The case was so unusual and shocking that there were no existing sentencing guidelines for the counsels or the judge to refer to.

Peter Stanley, aged 42, was a member of a grotesque private Facebook group named ‘Monkey Sauce’, where individuals shared and watched appalling videos. Prosecutor Christopher Taylor presented the case to Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, September 25, detailing how Stanley had uploaded three videos showing abuse of baby macaque monkeys between April 3 and June 24 of the previous year.

The court was told that the videos, ranging from seven to 15 minutes, depicted the young monkeys undergoing severe torture by individuals believed to be located in Thailand or Indonesia. The graphic content included scenes of monkeys being nailed to trees, mutilated, and tormented with tools such as pliers, a hatchet, and a machete.

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Out of respect for readers, our sister news site the Liverpool ECHO – which covered the case – has opted not to disclose the full extent of the gruesome details discussed in court.

Stanley also made comments on the videos he posted. On one, he remarked “now do as you are told”, on another he stated “a fav of mine this one”, and on his third video, he commented “this rat has nailed it”, reports the Liverpool Echo.

The court was informed by Mr Taylor and defence counsel Charles Lander that there were no precedents for sentencing in the north west due to the novel nature of the case. Mr Taylor referenced a similar case at Worcester Crown Court, involving Adriana Orme and Holly Le Gresley, who are awaiting their sentences next month for participating in a group that paid to have baby monkeys removed from their mothers and subsequently subjected them to torture and death for entertainment.

Le Gresley admitted in court to uploading 22 images and 132 videos. A BBC inquiry titled ‘The Monkey Haters’ had previously revealed this disturbing scenario, uncovering a network streaming videos of baby monkeys being tortured.

The footage, mainly produced in Southeast Asia and shared online, depicted the “disciplining” and tormenting of young captive monkeys, including the deliberate infliction of physical harm and emotional distress.

As a result of investigations into the posted videos, individuals throughout the UK were identified, leading to criminal probes by various police forces. The abhorrent actions attributed to Stanley came to light after Sarah Kite, founder of Action for Primates and an ex-mental health nurse, provided police insights into his activities following a discovery by a volunteer within the organisation.

Mr Taylor expressed to the court: “While the internet can be a force for good it can also be used for the worst of humanity. This is such a case.”

Le Gresley was hauled before court in Liverpool
(Image: Liverpool Echo)

After police executed a warrant at his home on March 26, Stanley was taken into custody. Disturbing findings from his mobile phone revealed he had searched for “how to tell if a baby monkey is distressed” and viewed bestiality content including horses.

During his police interrogation, he explained that his journey into the disturbing content began with watching videos of monkeys in their natural habitat and progressed into questioning how much they could endure. He admitted to viewing around 70 videos of animal abuse within a private Facebook group from June 23 to October 23, ultimately ceasing after being shocked by an exceptionally appalling video.

According to Mr Taylor, the severity of the pain and suffering showcased in these videos unquestionably surpasses the threshold that justifies imprisonment. He emphasized: “Without defendants like this the trade would not continue.”

The accused, hailing from Dovecot Avenue, Dovecot, faced Liverpool Magistrates’ Court last month and pleaded guilty to three charges related to publishing obscene articles featuring animal torture. Yesterday morning, Mr Lander, the defence counsel, said that despite the defendant’s prior employment with a renowned solicitors’ firm where he was considered a figure of integrity, he now harbours deep remorse and regret.

The defence barrister highlighted the consequences faced by his client, adding: “I do not seek to minimise his behaviour. The descriptions speak for themselves. He told police he didn’t know why he got into this…This isn’t someone who carried on offending until his arrest, he stopped months before.”

Mr Lander then spoke of his client’s realisation and subsequent change in behaviour: “He did what he accepts is a stupid thing for a few weeks when he was part of the group. He stopped when he realised the error of his ways. He never thought he would get the fateful knock on the door.”

At the sentencing, His Honour Judge Ian Harris addressed the gravity of the offences, telling the defendant: “These offences are utterly repellent and have no place in a civilised society. You were a volunteer, not a conscript.”

The judge underscored the necessity of an immediate prison term, imposing a 20-month sentence.

Judge Harris proceeded to order the destruction of the defendants mobile phone and imposed the statutory surcharge. During the court session, the defendant, dressed in a black suit with short black hair and wearing glasses, reached out for a last embrace with his mother as officers escorted him from the dock.

Reacting to the outcome of the case, Ms Kite expressed her appreciation: “We are very grateful to Merseyside Police for taking this action against the posting of monkey torture videos on Facebook. Those individuals involved in distributing graphic and obscene content depicting the violent and sadistic torture and killing of baby monkeys need to know that their behaviour is not only vile, but is also a crime.”

“We sincerely hope this prosecution and punishment will act as an important deterrent to others. We also hope that this prosecution will be a wake up call to Meta and other social media companies that continue to allow this highly disturbing and graphic content to be posted on their platforms.”

Thomas Quirk, senior crown prosecutor of Mersey-Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service, commented: “The videos that Peter Stanley posted onto his page on the Facebook site are truly horrific. The torture imposed on these animals included sexual torture and it has been a distressing case for both the police and the prosecution team to deal with.

“Why anyone could possibly want to be involved in this sort of thing is impossible to understand. Peter Stanley was publishing videos of animals being brutally injured apparently for pleasure. His actions are against the law, and he is now facing the consequences.

“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank the witnesses in this case and Merseyside Police for their help in bringing this dreadful case to a successful conclusion. Behind each of these images there were defenceless animals being abused. Peter Stanley presumably thought he was going to get away with this. How wrong he was.”