German cannibal sentenced to 8-1/2 years in prison

A German who killed and ate another man was on Friday convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 8-1/2 years in prison though prosecutors had wanted him to be charged with murder.

The case, the first of its kind, attracted worldwide media attention when the trail opened on December 3, 2003 after it emerged that the victim had consented to be killed and eaten.

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Rotenburg resident Armin Meiwes (42) told the court that he had advertised on the Internet seeking a man for 'slaughter and consumption'. He got a response from Bernd Juergen Brandes (43), a resident of Berlin, who wanted to be stabbed to death, but after losing consciousness, and eaten.

Meiwes cut off a part of Brandes' body before the pair ate it together. He then killed Brandes in the manner that the latter had specified, cut him up, stored his body in a freezer and ate it over the following months.

"For him, it was a nice death," Meiwes told the court on Monday but added that he was remorseful. "I regret it, but I can't undo it." He was calm during the trial.

Prosecutors called Meiwes a 'butcher' and demanded life imprisonment while the defence wanted the incident to be treated as mercy killing, which carries a lighter sentence, because the victim had volunteered to be killed.

Meiwes came to the notice of authorities when a person who saw his advertisement informed the website. He was not charged with cannibalisation because there is no such law in Germany.