The leader of a gang that carried out gruesome procedures, including castrations, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years. According to the BBC, self-styled "eunuch maker" Marius Gustavson used to stream the mutilation online for paying customers. The 46-year-old Norwegian ran a lucrative business in extreme body modifications. The outlet said that Gustavson has admitted to offences, including five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. During the court hearing, he was described as "a lunatic", "an arch-manipulator" and "a butcher".
His pay-per-view website advertised services, including freezing of limbs.
The videos show Gustavson and his accomplices performing extreme body modifications on apparently willing volunteers in hotel rooms and flats in London. As per the BBC report, some of them were as young as 16.
His legal team said while defending him at the Central Criminal Court in London that Gustavson only wanted to "put a smile" on faces of those people who suffered, like him, from body integrity dysphoria (BID).
But prosecutors accused Gustavson of carrying out "human butchery" done for sexual, rather than psychiatric, reasons.
"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," barrister Caroline Carberry KC was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Gustavson earned 300,000 pounds (Rs 3.13 crore) from his website and had 22,841 visitors from across the globe.
Some of the subscribers even paid 100 pounds (Rs 10,000) yearly subscription for VIP status. The victims were promised money from the video revenue.
There was also "clear evidence" of cannibalism by Gustavson, the prosecution claimed.
His network was destroyed by a brave victim, who has not been named for legal reasons. The participant told the police about the procedures carried out on him - and provided a USB stick that contained 5,000 WhatsApp messages, 100 images and a number of videos.
