German internet cannibal sentenced to life

The German cannibal who ate a computer engineer has had his sentence extended to lifetime imprisonment for murder, Bloomberg reports. His victim had replied to a posting seeking a "well-built male" for "slaughter and consumption".

Armin Meiwes, 44, was found guilty of manslaughter in 2004 in a case that tested the German legal system because victim Bernd Juergen Brandes had "volunteered".

Rotenberger Meiwes recorded Brandes bleeding to death on a video, which was played in court. He then butchered Brandes, eating approximately 20kg of his body over the following weeks.

Miewes was caught in December 2002 after police were alerted by other surfers.

A lower court passed the original eight year term. In the new five-month hearing, judges heard expert testimony to the effect that Miewes had been perfectly sane when he carried out the killing. ®