A reserved computer technician from the small town of Rotenburg in north-west Germany appeared to be a harmless neighbour, ready to assist anyone whenever possible.

Armin Meiwes was content to mow people’s lawns, repair their vehicles and even organise dinners. Yet one particular meal would leave a disturbing impression on the public after it emerged the then-42-year-old was actually a sadistic cannibal behind closed doors.

He harboured sinister fantasies that had plagued him since childhood, ones that involved devouring another human being as a means of achieving intimacy and control. During the late 1990s, Meiwes turned to the internet to locate like-minded individuals, and eventually, in 2001, he encountered Bernd Brandes.

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The 43-year-old engineer from Berlin had responded to an advertisement titled ‘Dinner – or your dinner’ on an online forum, seeking “a young, well-built man” prepared to be eaten. Both men exchanged messages extensively, discussing boundaries and consent, before arranging to meet at Meiwes’ isolated home.

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One evening in March of that year, they made their way to Meiwes’ farmhouse bedroom. Bernd consumed 20 sleeping pills and half a bottle of schnapps before Meiwes performed his horrific act of severing Brandes’ penis with his consent and cooking it to share a gruesome meal.

By this point, Brandes was losing blood rapidly. He then soaked in a bath whilst Meiwes calmly read a Star Trek novel.

In the early hours, Meiwes finally ended his victim’s life by plunging a large kitchen knife into his neck, reportedly kissing him beforehand.

He subsequently dismembered Bernd, storing portions in his freezer alongside a takeaway pizza, and buried his skull in the garden. Over the following ten months, Meiwes defrosted and cooked parts of Bernd’s body in olive oil and garlic, consuming a staggering 20kg of human flesh before police finally came knocking.

Meiwes later recounted the night’s horrors in the documentary ‘Docs: Interview With A Cannibal’. He told the crew: “I took out my best dinner service, and fried a piece of rump steak – a piece from his back – made what I call princess potatoes, and sprouts. After I prepared my meal, I ate it.

“The first bite was, of course, very strange. It was a feeling I can’t really describe. I’d spent over 40 years longing for it, dreaming about it. And now I was getting the feeling that I was actually achieving this perfect inner connection through his flesh. The flesh tastes like pork but stronger.”

In 2002, an Austrian student had tipped off the authorities after stumbling across his disturbing online posts. When the case came to trial, Meiwes insisted that the engineer “came to me of his own free will to end his life. For him, it was a nice death.”

Germany’s legal system faced an extraordinary dilemma, however, as cannibalism was not actually illegal.

Instead, authorities were forced to charge him with murder for sexual gratification and “disturbing the peace of the dead”. However, Meiwes had recorded the entire evening on videotape, in which Brandes seemingly consented to being killed and eaten.

In 2002, an Austrian student had tipped off the authorities after stumbling across his disturbing online posts. When the case came to trial, Meiwes insisted that the engineer “came to me of his own free will to end his life. For him, it was a nice death.”

Germany’s legal system faced an extraordinary dilemma, however, as cannibalism was not actually illegal.

Instead, authorities were forced to charge him with murder for sexual gratification and “disturbing the peace of the dead”. However, Meiwes had recorded the entire evening on videotape, in which Brandes seemingly consented to being killed and eaten.

Prosecutors maintained that he was afflicted by a serious psychiatric disorder and “a strong desire for self-destruction”. In January 2004, Meiwes was found guilty of manslaughter and handed just eight and a half years, triggering widespread outrage across Germany.

Yet in April 2005, prosecutors lodged an appeal, insisting Meiwes should have been convicted of murder and possessed the evidence to prove it. They referenced a videotape of the horrific crime and contended the killing was perpetrated for sexual satisfaction.

A retrial took place the following January, with specialists cautioning that Meiwes continued to harbour fantasies about consuming young flesh and posed a reoffending risk upon release. The killer was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, where, in an unsettling development, he abandoned meat and has subsequently adopted a vegetarian lifestyle.