Cannibal gets 8.5 years of prison

[Haltickling]

I'll conclude by returning a thought to ponder. You note that had the victim been unwilling, he'd "have been sentenced to life imprisonment (probably with unlimited secure detainment in a psychiatric ward)" - would you agree that the "unlimited secure detainment in a psychiatric ward" might not be a bad idea anyway - even with a willing victim or would you favor a lesser sentence because of the consent and condone releasing the man-eatng cannibal back into society after a few years (as the German laws/courts have)?

Yes and no. I would prefer him to serve a longer prison sentence, but not the full life time sentence which should be reserved for the taking of innocents' lives. The victim, IMO, was guilty as well, by instigating the cannibal to do what he had done.

But after serving his prison time, the cannibal should be locked away in a psychiatric ward under constant medical/therapeutic surveillance, not let loose on the society. However, life is quite different in a psychiatric facility, compared to prison life. But that's just my personal judgement, and I'm neither a lawyer nor a psychiatrist.

BTW, I agree with you about not differentiating between murders for different sexual deviances. I just wanted to make some people (not you in particular) see that it's tempting to turn a blind eye to a problem because they have some fantasies that they can identify with. Can you imagine the reaction of a vanilla judge and jury when confronted to any aberration from the norm? What if you (again, not particularly you) were a member of a jury who has to deal with a crime which involves tickling? Would it affect your judgement? -advocate

 

[sceej56]

Well, Hal, it appears we strongly disagree but I appreciate that the disgreement is civil with a modicum of respect shown to differing opinions (no matter how strongly one disagrees with the other).

You are absolutely correct that adding "kinky sex" to a homicide changes the situation drastically; hell, if the cannibal and victim had merely been lovers and one killed the other and disposed of the body by any convnetional means we would not be having this conversation. Sadly, homicides are occurring probably every second of every day and a good many of them involve people with a relationship of some sort. It's clearly the kinky sex aspect that makes this a news item (now compounded by the light sentence).

As for myself as a juror, well, I work in law, have been a juror in a criminal case and honestly beleive that my own fetish would not affect my judgment if I beleived someone committed murder by tickling; however, we all bring some preconceptions (whether we choose to admit it or not). As opposed to a vanilla person, I would probably be more receptive to the possibility that the tickling and bondage were consensual and the death an accident but I believe in the cannibal case there were video tapes in which both victim and killer expressed what they intended to do. Were that the case, I would have no qualms about convicting a person of murder by tickling.

Not trying to be unduly provacative but I think you miss the point when you distinguish between the cannibal killing "an innocent' as opposed to this "willing victim". I would argue that this victim was also an "innocent" in that he was (in my opinion) insane and unable to give consent. By way of analogy, if a person whom you knew to have Alzheimer's disease spontaneously "gave" you all their money, in my mind, you would still be a thief if you took it and spent it. The person consented to you taking it but lacks the ability to give consent.

 

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

Weirdly enough, this case actually has a precedent(of sorts). There's a Japanese guy who killed and ate a European woman(I believe she was an exchange student) who is now walking the streets of Japan a free man after serving some time.

 

[asutickler]

Dr. Bill, that's revolting. You'd think simple common sense would dictate that a person who kills and eats another human being needs to be separated from society for the rest of their natural life...

 

[Oddjob0226]

tsk. He could've become the Burgermeister(sic).

Hamburger-meister!

 

[Jimblast]

Couldn't the person who asked to be eaten just left a two word note as a will instead of an entire video which clearly stated, 'Eat me!'?.