A Liverpool man has been jailed for publishing monkey torture online.
Peter Stanley was arrested after a BBC documentary called The Monkey Haters which uncovered the existence of streaming videos containing the torture of baby monkeys.
Investigations into the posting of these videos led police to individuals being identified across the UK and criminal investigations carried out by other police forces.
This is the first time this type of prosecution has taken place in the North West as Stanley received 20 months behind bars for his involvement.
The 42-year-old from Knotty Ash pleaded guilty to three counts of publishing an obscene article prior to Wednesday’s sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court.
Sergeant Dan Goss, from Merseyside Police’s Rural, Wildlife and Heritage team, said: “The original investigation uncovered the widespread sharing of content which showed the deliberate and gratuitous suffering of baby monkeys for ‘entertainment’, some of which was for monetary gain.
“As part of a similar investigation carried out by West Mercia Police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit we were able identify Stanley as being responsible for the publishing of similar content.
“The Rural, Wildlife and Heritage Team have then carried out an investigation which led to the arrest and charge of Peter Stanley, who today was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
“We worked closely with our colleagues at the National Wildlife Crime Unit as part of this investigation and will continue to identify and apprehend anyone who chooses to share such online content.”