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To the residents of the small German hamlet of Wüsterfeld, Armin Meiwes appeared to be an ordinary neighbour. He maintained his property well, regularly trimmed his lawn and seldom caused any disturbances.

However, within the confines of his timber-framed abode, the computer technician was harbouring a sinister fantasy that would later send shockwaves around the globe.

Meiwes, hailing from Rotenburg, confessed to having been consumed by the thought of murdering and eating another human being since his youth.

He later suggested this obsession took root during visits to, where he developed a fascination with slaughter and butchery.

During his teenage years, he even contemplated asking his peers if he could amputate and consume parts of their bodies, refraining only due to fear of social ostracism.

Years down the line, the advent of the internet provided him with access to clandestine fetish forums where users graphically discussed cannibalism.

It was on one such platform that he encountered Bernd Brandes, a 43-year-old engineer based in Berlin, reports the Mirror.

Following weeks of explicit online correspondence, the duo reached a macabre agreement. Brandes would journey to Meiwes' residence and consent to being murdered and devoured.

In exchange, Meiwes would amputate his penis and they would attempt to consume it together. Brandes arrived at the agreed location in March 2001.

Brandes consented to ingest sleeping pills and alcohol prior to Meiwes severing his penis with a knife.

The flesh was then cooked in a pan and served, although subsequent reports indicated that neither man managed to fully consume it.

The entire gruesome event was meticulously documented on film by Miewes.

As Brandes weakened from blood loss, he was eventually stabbed to death. Meiwes then dismembered the body, hanging parts on meat hooks and storing large sections in a freezer alongside everyday food.

Over the subsequent 10 months, he gradually defrosted and cooked the flesh, consuming an estimated 20 kilograms.

Investigators later stated that Meiwes treated the meals almost like solo dinner parties. He used his finest cutlery, lit candles and drank red wine.

When questioned about how he felt eating his victim, he gave a nine-word response that shocked detectives: "With every bite, my memory of him grew stronger."

The case caused legal chaos in Germany, where cannibalism itself was not a specific offence. Meiwes was initially convicted of manslaughter, but after a retrial was found guilty of murder for sexual gratification.

He remains incarcerated, his crime still considered one of the most unsettling in modern European history.