Man dubbed 'Cannibal Cop' Gilberto Valle says he is looking for 'non-judgmental' partner on online dating site

Former cop who was later cleared of kidnap charges was found guilty of trawling police records for information on women

Paul Valle (Reuters)

It is notoriously challenging to come up with an online dating profile that feels right. People worry about how their picture looks, whether or not they will seem sufficient interesting and even whether potentials suitors might hold some prejudices that might put them off.

That certainly appears to have been the case for Gilberto Valle, 30, when he created his profile for Match.Com. He stressed that he was looking for a “non-judgmental” partner and lists cooking as his favourite hobby.

Being non-judgmental could well be a useful characteristic for anyone arranging a date with Mr Valle. The man was dubbed the Cannibal Cop by the US media after being convicted in March 2013 of plotting to kidnap, torture, kill and eat women.

Reports said at the time that the outcome on the trial had hinged on the subtle distinction between reality and fantasy. Mr Valle’s defence lawyers had claimed the policeman had been convicted of “thought crimes” and that he had not taken concrete steps to harm women.

Last summer, a federal judge overturned the jury’s conviction, saying there was insufficient evidence to show he was guilty of the conspiracy to commit kidnap charges that could have seen him spend a life behind bars. Judge Paul Gardephe did however, uphold his conviction of a lesser charge, that of using the New York Police Department's database to obtain information on woman he ‘intended to target’ and sentenced him to time served.

“The depraved, misogynistic sexual fantasies about his wife, former college classmates and acquaintances undoubtedly reflected a mind diseased,“ the judge wrote. But, he added, prosecutors failed to prove he had entered into genuine agreements to kidnap the women and taken concrete steps to carry them out.

After being released from custody on a bail of $100,000 to what was termed home detention, Mr Valle said: “I want to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone I hurt, shocked and offended with my infantile behaviour.”

The New York Post reported that Mr Valle’s dating profile also specifies he is looking for someone “a little kinky”.

He writes of his ideal partner: “You appreciate the simple things and can make the best out of a situation that is less than ideal. You’re non-judgmental. You can generally see the good in people and you are kind and generous. You appreciate and laugh at bad jokes.”

The newspaper said the former policeman declined to talk to its reporter. Mr Valle has not made any statements concerning the issue.

Follow Andrew Buncombe on Twitter @AndrewBuncombe.