Court rules German cannibal is sane

The German cannibal who confessed to killing a man and eating his flesh is incapable of showing "warm and tender feelings" towards…

The German cannibal who confessed to killing a man and eating his flesh is incapable of showing "warm and tender feelings" towards other people but is not mentally ill, a court heard.

Mr Armin Meiwes (42), has a "schizoid personality" and difficulty in forming relationships, psychiatrist Dr Georg Stolpmann told the state court in Kassel.

He said: "What we have here is an inability to have warm and tender feelings towards others. There is no indication of mental illness."

He said Mr Meiwes is fully fit to face trial - an assessment shared by other experts who have testified. Dr Stolpmann described the accused as a "calm and balanced" prisoner who enjoyed the publicity he was getting.

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When his murder trial opened last month, Mr Meiwes confessed to the March 2001 killing of 43-year-old Bernd Juergen Brandes at his home.

Mr Brandes, who had travelled from Berlin after answering his advert, wanted to be stabbed to death after drinking a bottle of cold medicine to lose consciousness, Mr Meiwes testified. Mr Meiwes has told the court that following Brandes's death, he looked for further willing victims through Internet ads and chatrooms.

Prosecutors say the killing was sexually motivated and filed murder charges against Mr Meiwes despite concluding that the killer had the victim's consent. If convicted of murder, he could face life in prison. .