'Eunuch Maker' leader who cut off body parts and cooked testicles for salad loses sentence appeal

The ring leader of an extreme body modification ring, who dubbed himself and cooked human testicles to eat in a salad, has lost his.

Marius Gustavson was jailed with a minimum term of 22 years last year for his role in the sick enterprise, which carried out male castration, on people as young as 16. Gustavson challenged his sentence at the Court of Appeal in February alongside Janus Atkin, David Carruthers, Ashley Williams, Damien Byrnes and Jacob Crimi-Appleby. This morning all six appeals were thrown out by Lord Justice William Davis, Mr Justice Griffiths and Judge Simon Drew KC.

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In his judgement, Lord Justice Davis said the sentencing judge "carried out a difficult sentencing exercise" and the case was "extremely unusual". He added: "The adjustments made to the sentences to allow for the unusual circumstances were reasonable and proportionate.

"The sentences were intended to give a message to anyone minded to engage in highly dangerous procedures involving body modifications. That reflected an appropriate purpose of sentencing.

"Because cases of consensual grievous bodily harm are rare, consistency must give way to the judge in each case assessing the issue of consent by reference to the individual circumstances of the case. The judge was correct to use the guideline to reach an appropriate sentence and then to make some deduction to allow for the element of consent."

Last year the Old Bailey heard how Gustavson netted more than £300,000 between 2017 and 2021 after posting videos of various procedures on his Eunuch Maker website. The Norwegian once cooked human testicles to eat in a salad and also froze his own leg so it needed to be amputated. Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC said he was linked to at least 29 procedures and that there was "clear evidence of cannibalism".

He was arrested after he used a red-hot iron to brand a man's calf with the letters EM - for Eunuch Maker - and after he was detained, police found his penis in a drawer of his home in Haringey, north London, four years after it had been amputated. He later pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm, five counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, making and distributing an indecent photograph of a child, and possession of criminal property.

After being jailed for 22 years, Gustavsen threw a tantrum in court at his legal team. His barrister Rashvinder Panesar told the Old Bailey on Tuesday: "Understandably there was some turbulence with those defending him following his life sentence."

Speaking at the time, Kate Mulholland, CPS London Specialist Prosecutor, said: “Marius Gustavson ignored the risks of performing unnecessary surgery on vulnerable men for sexual gratification and financial gain. He actively recruited participants through his website and was paid to stream the footage of these barbaric procedures.

“Whilst the victims in this case all seemingly consented to surgeries and amputations, the victim who bravely reported his assault to the police expressed serious regret regarding his procedure and the lasting impact it has had upon him. This clearly emphasises why such practices are unlawful.

“The severity of today’s sentence should act as a warning to others that performing extreme body modifications is against the law and the CPS won’t hesitate to prosecute these horrendous crimes.”