'Eunuch maker' who mutilated paying customers and streamed procedures online is jailed for life
9 May 2024, 13:18 | Updated: 9 May 2024, 14:24
The so-called 'eunuch maker' who mutilated and castrated paying customers has been jailed for life for a minimum of 22 years.
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Warning: Contains graphic descriptions of mutilations
Marius Gustavson cooked human testicles to eat in a salad and carried out male castrations as the mastermind behind the extreme body modifications enterprise - making almost £300,000 through his website 'eunuchmaker.com'.
Gustavson, 46, and his acolytes - who were medically unqualified - also carried out penis removals and other "grisly" procedures on an unprecedented scale, the Old Bailey heard.
Described as a "lunatic" during the three-day sentencing, the Norwegian admitted to offences including five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
The court heard on one occasion when Gustavson cooked "what appeared to be human testicles which are then plated to be eaten" and kept other body parts as "trophies", Judge Mark Lucraft KC said.
Gustavson, of Haringey, north London, was sentenced after six other men were jailed for between four and a half years and 12 years for their part in the plot.
The self-titled 'eunuch maker' was the mastermind of the "gruesome and grisly", "large scale" and "extremely dangerous" enterprise, the court heard.
Sentencing him, Judge Lucraft said: "I am entirely satisfied that the motivation of all those involved were a mix of sexual gratification as well as financial reward."
He said some of what happened was "little short of human butchery", he said.
The extreme body modification that Gustavson and his acolytes carried out is linked to a subculture where men become "nullos", short for genital nullification, by having their penis and testicles removed.
Previously, prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC said Gustavson was linked to at least 29 procedures including one in which he later cooked severed testicles for lunch alongside a salad.
He had also taken various pictures from "raw ingredients to an artfully arranged salad platter", Ms Carberry told the court.
"There is also, we say, clear evidence of cannibalism."
On another occasion Gustavson offered to sell the severed penis of one of his victims for hundreds of pounds, the court heard. Body parts were also put up for auction online.
Other defendants admitted their part in the conspiracy relating to 13 victims, the youngest of whom was 16 years old.
Ms Carberry said the defendants used a wide variety of tools such as clamps used for animal castration.
Some 22,000 subscribers paid to access videos on the Eunuch Maker website, with varying levels of membership from "free" to "VIP" which cost £100.
Gustavson was arrested after he used a red hot iron to brand a man's calf with the letters EM - for eunach maker.
In a victim impact statement, the man who complained to police, described Gustavson as a "lunatic" who had put together a "slick, professional website".
The police investigation led to the arrest of 10 men in London, Scotland and South Wales.
Raids uncovered Gustavson's penis in a drawer in his home four years after it had been amputated.
He also had his leg amputated in 2019 after getting a man to freeze it before claiming £18,000 in disability payments until 2021.
Rashvinderjeet Panesar, the defence barrister, said of Gustavson: "He had a desire to be the architect of his own body. His modification led him to feelings of empowerment.
"It appears at face value to be something that's become an addiction for him."
Gustavson had 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.
Kate Mulholland, from the Crown Prosecution Service, 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."
