A pensioner with no medical training has been convicted in court of carrying out penile amputations in his living room.
The 75-year-old, who is not named under German privacy laws, has been handed a sentence of almost four years after confessing to performing gruesome amputations on willing “patients”.
The trained turner happily removed penises, toes and even testicles from patients sitting on a simple plastic mat placed on top of their couch.
For years, he allegedly served a specific clientele who found him through shady Internet forums and charged between 500 and 2,200 euros per procedure.
The Erfurt Regional Court in the eastern state of Thuringia found the man guilty of seven counts of grievous bodily harm and one additional count of bodily harm.
A 75-year-old man has been sentenced to almost four years in prison after confessing to amputating penises, toes and testicles from willing “patients”. In the photo: Erfurt, Germany
Although the man’s defense argued for acquittal, Judge Udo Tietjen said the sentence serves a greater purpose.
“What we definitely want to achieve with this ruling is to prevent imitators,” he said.
The court sessions, which were largely closed to the public, included testimony from people who had voluntarily sought out the defendant for these unauthorized proceedings.
Judge Tietjen described the trial as “extraordinary” and “shameful”, referring to the discomfort and difficulty experienced by witnesses in telling what had happened to them.
While many admitted to seeking relief for chronic genital pain or even the initial steps of a sex reassignment process, few showed any desire to see the accused severely punished.
The man confessed to the operations, but stated that his actions were not financially motivated.
He said he was “inspired” by Internet forums dedicated to castration and that his goal was to “help” those who approached him.
However, the court expressed skepticism about his claims, suggesting that money may have played a larger role than he admitted.
The horror continued as the court heard how the defendant used a syringe to numb the areas before cutting into the flesh, all while the victim lay on his living room sofa.
As for the whereabouts of the amputated body parts, it remains a mystery, as the man failed to clarify what he did with them.
The prosecution pushed for a harsher sentence of six years and six months, reflecting on the severity and recklessness of his actions and arguing that in at least one case, the procedure nearly cost a patient his life.
The court finally set three years and ten months, although the sentence has not yet been final.
Although the man’s defense argued for acquittal, Judge Udo Tietjen said the sentence reflected the court’s desire to avoid imitations.