Cannibal is not mad, says expert

A German cannibal being tried for murder after he confessed to killing a man and eating his flesh shows no signs of mental illness, a court-appointed expert testified at his trial today.

Klaus Beier, a psychotherapist and sexologist, told the Kassel state court that defendant Armin Meiwes’ fascination with cannibalism had developed from an early age and Meiwes, a loner, had seen it as a way of “being close” to men.

However, “I have never found any indication of psychological disturbance,” during examinations of Meiwes, Beier told the court.

When his trial opened last month, Meiwes, 42, confessed in detail to the March 2001 killing of 43-year-old Bernd Juergen Brandes at his home.

Brandes, who had travelled from Berlin after answering his ads, wanted to be stabbed to death after drinking a bottle of cold medicine to lose consciousness, Meiwes testified.

Prosecutors say the killing was sexually motivated and filed murder charges against Meiwes, 42, despite concluding that the killer had the victim’s consent.

If convicted of murder, Meiwes could face life in prison. But his lawyer argues that the slaying was instead a form of mercy killing, which would carry a maximum five-year sentence.