He was sentenced to three years and three months in prison at Woolwich Crown 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,” Judge Christopher Grout told the court.

“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 said Poklek would be released after serving about a third of his prison sentence under the Sentencing Act 2026, and called for longer sentences for animal abuse, which currently has a five-year maximum.

He added: “If ever there was a case that demonstrates that the statutory maximum for animal cruelty is too low, this is it.”