'CANNIBAL SNACKED ON BODY'

GERMAN CANNIBAL TRIAL

Psychiatrist Warns Meiwes Could Kill Again

The trial of Armin Meiwes, the German cannibal who killed and ate a man begging to be devoured, is gradually drawing to a close. A psychiatrist has warned that the computer repair man remains obsessed by male flesh and could kill again.

Armin Meiwes, the German cannibal standing trial for the second time for killing and eating 44 pounds of flesh from a man who wanted to be eaten, is so fixated on male human meat that he could kill again, a psychiatrist told the court on Monday.

Georg Stolpmann, professor of psychiatry at Göttingen university who examined Meiwes, told the Frankfurt district court that he saw a "very high danger of a repeat" and that Meiwes, 44, had a "severely disturbed soul."

Meiwes is facing a retrial after Germany's top criminal appeals court ruled that his original manslaughter verdict and sentence of eight-and-a-half years were too lenient. It ordered a retrial on murder charges. Monday's testimony marked the end of the evidence-hearing phase and the verdict is expected on May 9 after the defence and prosecution sum up.

The case sparked grim fascination around the world when it came to light in 2002 and confronted the German legal system with an unprecedented dilemma -- whether killing a man who wants to be eaten can constitute murder. Meiwes said during his retrial: "I wanted to eat him but I didn't want to kill him." He said he had fantasized since puberty about consuming a man to fill the void caused by the sudden departure of his father. Using the pseudonym "Franky," he had been in touch with hundreds of people on the Internet, where he posted ads seeking fit men for "slaughter."

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GERMAN CANNIBAL TRIAL

Psychiatrist Warns Meiwes Could Kill Again

The trial of Armin Meiwes, the German cannibal who killed and ate a man begging to be devoured, is gradually drawing to a close. A psychiatrist has warned that the computer repair man remains obsessed by male flesh and could kill again.

Armin Meiwes, the German cannibal standing trial for the second time for killing and eating 44 pounds of flesh from a man who wanted to be eaten, is so fixated on male human meat that he could kill again, a psychiatrist told the court on Monday.

Georg Stolpmann, professor of psychiatry at Göttingen university who examined Meiwes, told the Frankfurt district court that he saw a "very high danger of a repeat" and that Meiwes, 44, had a "severely disturbed soul."

Meiwes is facing a retrial after Germany's top criminal appeals court ruled that his original manslaughter verdict and sentence of eight-and-a-half years were too lenient. It ordered a retrial on murder charges. Monday's testimony marked the end of the evidence-hearing phase and the verdict is expected on May 9 after the defence and prosecution sum up.

The case sparked grim fascination around the world when it came to light in 2002 and confronted the German legal system with an unprecedented dilemma -- whether killing a man who wants to be eaten can constitute murder. Meiwes said during his retrial: "I wanted to eat him but I didn't want to kill him." He said he had fantasized since puberty about consuming a man to fill the void caused by the sudden departure of his father. Using the pseudonym "Franky," he had been in touch with hundreds of people on the Internet, where he posted ads seeking fit men for "slaughter."

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