Man leaves wife's severed head at petrol station

A 40-year-old German appeared at a petrol station today carrying his wife’s severed head and asked the attendant to call police, police said.

The man, whom police did not identify, left the head on the lawn of the Hamburg petrol station before making his confession, police spokeswoman Karina Sadowsky said.

“The 40-year-old appeared confused and said that he had killed his wife,” Sadowsky said.

When police searched the man’s apartment, they found his 39-year-old wife’s headless body and the knife likely used in the crime, Sadowsky said.

Two children were found at the scene and taken into state custody.

A motive was not immediately known, Sadowsky said.