Judge says dead body exhibition can go on

A judge in Belgium is allowing 28 human corpses to go on show as part of a controversial art exhibition.

Koerperwelten, or Bodyworld, consists of embalmed dead bodies cut open to show what's inside.

A butcher complained to the judge that the exhibition in an Anderlecht abattoir was bad for business.

He said the exhibition, which includes the bodies of two pregnant women, with their unborn children, was an attack on his private and family life and on butchers in general.

But Brussels Judge de Hemptinne rejected the claims.

"The proximity of dead bodies is never an attack on family life, or nobody could live near a cemetery anymore.

"There is no link between the reputation of the neighbourhood and the exhibition and it's not clear how the exhibition would harm the butcher's reputation," he told the court.

Bodyworld's German creator Gunther von Hagens has used bodies from morgues and research institutes across Europe.

The Berlin leg of the tour was so popular its venue had to open 24 hours a day. A exhibition is also planned for London.