Cannibal video to be shown

THE murder jury in the German trial of cannibal Armin Meiwes will today watch a homemade video of him killing and eating his victim.

The 42-year-old computer expert captured every moment of the grisly crime on a two-hour long video tape, which shows him stabbing, decapitating and eating his victim Bernd Juergen Brandes in March 2001.

Meiwes, who has admitted to killing, dismembering and eating Brandes, said he did so only after he believed the victim to be dead and with his consent.

A spokesman for the Kassel County Court said: "The video is an important piece of evidence.

"We have to decide if the victim was willing to be killed, see what his behaviour was like. It is also important to find out whether the accused was able to tell if his victim was still alive or not when he stabbed him."

Twelve people will be forced to watch the video, including three judges, three members of the jury, the public prosecutor, three experts, the defence lawyer and the cannibal.

It is the second day of a trial that is expected to last three weeks. A verdict is due early next year.