By Jeremy Britton
BBC News
A self-styled “eunuch maker” who mutilated paying customers and streamed it online has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years.
Marius Gustavson admitted offences including five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
He was described at a three-day sentencing at the Old Bailey as “a lunatic”, “an arch-manipulator” and “a butcher”.
The Norwegian, 46, ran a lucrative business in extreme body modifications.
Warning: Contains graphic descriptions
Judge Mark Lucraft KC said Gustavson had been the mastermind of the “gruesome and grisly”, “large-scale” and “extremely dangerous” enterprise.
“On one occasion Gustavson cooked what appeared to be human testicles which were then plated to be eaten, and kept other body parts as ‘trophies’,” he said.
Judge Lucraft told the court he was “entirely satisfied” that the motivation “was a mix of sexual gratification as well as financial reward”.
Some of what happened was “little short of human butchery”, he said.
‘Body integrity dysphoria’
The court heard how the defendant’s “Eunuchmaker” pay-per-view website advertised services including castration, penis removal and the freezing of limbs.
The Old Bailey was also told how Gustavson got others to perform procedures on him, including having a nipple and his penis removed and a leg frozen.
The website showed the defendant and his medically unqualified accomplices – six of whom were sentenced alongside him – performing a series of operations in London flats and hotel rooms on apparently willing volunteers. Some were as young as 16.
Sometimes it all went badly wrong. The court heard several recordings of 999 calls in which Gustavson calmly lied to the operator about how his victims had in fact injured themselves.
In his defence, Gustavson’s legal team claimed he only wanted to “put a smile on people’s faces” by offering a service to those suffering, like him, from what was described as body integrity dysphoria (BID).
However, prosecution barrister Caroline Carberry KC told the court: “We suggest that diagnosis – if it exists – may explain why it is Mr Gustavson acted as he did to have his own body maimed and mutilated, but does not explain why he made a lucrative business out of mutilating others.”
Gustavson earned almost £300,000 from his website, having amassed 22,841 visitors from across the globe who paid to view the gruesome footage, the court heard.
Subscribers who paid the yearly £100 subscription would be entitled to VIP status, while victims were promised money from the video revenue.
Court documents also showed Gustavso