Overview

• Natalie Herron, 39, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, received a 27-month prison sentence after admitting to possessing and sharing over 1,000 graphic images and videos of tortured macaques.
• Court documents show she acted as an online administrator on Telegram and WhatsApp, organising polls on methods of torture and distributing footage of baby monkeys being crucified, beaten and boiled.
• The network was led by Michael McCartney, known as “The Torture King,” which paid handlers in Indonesia to abduct infant long-tailed macaques and film their prolonged, violent deaths.
• Her prosecution stemmed from a joint US and UK investigation by law enforcement agencies including the National Crime Agency and the National Wildlife Crime Unit, following earlier convictions of other members.
• Animal rights groups warn that encrypted messaging apps are enabling undetected animal cruelty rings and cite research linking participation in such abuse to an increased risk of violence against humans.