German policeman denies murdering man he met on cannibalism website
Detlev Guenzel denies murder and his defence lawyer claims the victim killed himself
A police officer strangled a businessman he had met as part of a cannibalism fetish before dismembering him with an electric saw for a sexual thrill, a German court heard.
Detlev Guenzel and his victim are said to have met through an internet forum devoted to cannibalism which offered users the opportunity to “take the experience beyond fantasy”.
After exchanging violent sexual fantasies online the 59-year-old victim, a businessman from Hanover who prosecutors said fantasised about being eaten, agreed to meet at Guenzel’s bed and breakfast, south of Dresden.
The prosecution accepts there is no evidence Guenzel, a police handwriting expert, ate any part of his victim but maintains that after murdering him he filmed himself cutting up the body.
Nevertheless, the case has drawn parallels to that of Armin Meiwes, the self-confessed cannibal who was convicted of murder after killing and partially eating Bernd Juergen Brandes who answered his online post appealing for a young man for “slaughter and consumption”.
Meiwes, who fried parts of his victim in garlic, is serving a life sentence after failing to convince Germany’s highest court that his actions should have been classed as a mercy killing. The trial judge, however, accepted that Juergen Brandes, had been a willing participant and that both victim and perpetrator were “two psychologically sick people”.
Andreas Feron, the chief prosecutor in the latest case, said of Guenzel: “He killed and dismembered him to get sexual stimulation and then later to get sexual stimulation by watching the video he made.”
Detlef Guenzel sits next to his lawyer Endrik Wilhelm (C-L) as he waits for the opening of his trial at the court in Dresden, eastern Germany
When he was arrested Guenzel, the court heard, directed investigating officers to several locations at his bed and breakfast where body parts had been buried.
Police were able to reconstruct a video he made - and later deleted – of the dismemberment in which, according to the German news agency dpa, he said: “I never thought I’d sink so low.”
Guenzel, 56, denies murder and his defence lawyer Endrik Wilhelm said the victim had killed himself. The defendant could face 15 years in prison if convicted of murder.
The court in Dresden heard that Guenzel and his victim went online to the cannibalism fantasy site with the usernames Caligula 31 and Longpig. The Hanover businessman signed his own death warrant, the prosecution said, when he ticked the box saying he wanted to go further than fantasy.
Guenzel outlined his life story to the court, but did not speak of the killing. The trial is expected to resume on 1 September and to last 15 days.
- 1 Tony Blair wants Chuka Umunna to be the next Labour leader
- 2 The best and worst restaurants of 2014: From delicious dishes and sensational service to eating in the dark and bullies in the kitchen
- 3 A long list of sex acts just got banned in UK porn
- 4 North Korea accuses US of spreading Ebola and choosing Africa as a bio-weapon testing ground
- 5 Prince William wrote heartfelt letter to the family of nurse who killed herself after Australian DJs royal radio prank
-
Tony Blair wants Chuka Umunna to be the next Labour leader
-
UK weather: Snow, hail, and sleet expected as Met Office extends weather warnings
-
Five-year-old boy found dead at home after 'sickening and violent' attack
-
North Korea accuses US of spreading Ebola and choosing Africa as a bio-weapon testing ground
-
Prince William wrote heartfelt letter to the family of nurse who killed herself after Australian DJs royal radio prank
-
Forget everything you know about nice, liberal Sweden — that country no longer exists
-
'Poor' Nigel Farage finds it hard to get by on £109,000 a year plus expenses
-
A long list of sex acts just got banned in UK porn
-
Top Gear wanted to set fire to Clarkson's Porsche to make escape from Argentina more 'dramatic'
-
Ukip leader Nigel Farage clashes with audience members as he tries to engage with young voters
-
Nigel Farage says breastfeeding mums 'should sit in a corner' if they are too ostentatious
WIN a trip for two to Cuba
Follow Simon Calder's journey in Cuba, and enter our competition to win a trip for two to Cuba
Caribbean luxury at its finest
Barbados offers a new slice of holiday heaven at Port Ferdnand and Saint Peter's Bay Luxury Resorts
Rainbow list 2014: The LBGT people who make a real difference
Introducing our annual celebration of the lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender people who make a real difference
i100: Who makes your world a better place?
Tweet us the people who deserve some recognition to @thei100 with the hashtag #everydayhero and tell us why.
2014 WISE Summit
For the past four years, Qatar Foundation has been awarding an international prize for education each year, the first award of its kind in the world. Find out more...
Build yourself a brighter future
Chartered surveyors will be critical to shaping our new world
i100 Quiz: How much do you know about time?
True or False: Sloths sleep more than all other animals...
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Independent Dating
iJobs General
Austen Lloyd: Senior Corporate Commercial Solicitor - Manchester
Excellent Salary: Austen Lloyd: MANCHESTER - A highly attractive opportunity w...
h2 Recruit Ltd: Business Development Manager - HR Consultancy - £65,000 OTE
£35000 - £40000 per annum + £65,000 OTE: h2 Recruit Ltd: London, Birmingham, M...
Recruitment Genius: Sales Courier - OTE £30,000
£15000 - £30000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: A great opportunity to work in ...
h2 Recruit Ltd: Sales Manager - Political Market Research - £55,000 OTE
£35000 - £55000 per annum + benefits: h2 Recruit Ltd: A global, market leading...
Day In a Page
Homeless Veterans appeal
The most dangerous truck route in the world?
Building a British naval base in Bahrain is a 'symbolic choice' – for no clear reason
Homeless Veterans appeal
The best and worst restaurants of 2014
A grand jury blind to the evidence before it
Oh, what a circus Jeremy Thorpe's Liberals were...












