Cannibal victim never told lover

Brandes "asked to be stabbed to death," according to Meiwes

An engineer who was a self-confessed cannibal's willing victim never told his partner that he wanted to be killed and eaten, a German court has heard.

Bernd-Juergen Brandes had never expressed a death wish, his former lover Rene Jasnik told the court.

Mr Brandes died after answering internet adverts placed by Armin Meiwes seeking a volunteer for "slaughter".

Mr Meiwes, 42, has admitted killing and eating the engineer, but says he is not guilty of murdering him.

Mr Jasnik, 27, the victim's partner at the time, told the court in Kassel: "He had no thoughts of suicide."

He said the couple had been "very happy" and had been planning a holiday.

Mr Jasnik said he still could not explain his lover's death.

However, he added that he had found Mr Brandes's will, dated 3 January 2001, following his disappearance. The killing took place in March of that year.

'Sexually motivated'

The witness said Mr Meiwes had written to him, apologising for his actions and saying he was sorry.

Meiwes has confessed in detail

Mr Meiwes, 42, says Mr Brandes travelled from his Berlin home to meet him and wanted to be stabbed to death after drinking a bottle of cold medicine to lose consciousness.

Prosecutors say the killing was sexually motivated and filed murder charges against Mr Meiwes, despite accepting that the killer had the victim's consent.

If convicted of murder, Meiwes could face life in prison.

But his lawyer argues that he is only guilty of the crime of "killing on demand", which carries a maximum five-year sentence.

Arrest

Mr Meiwes has told the court that he subsequently looked for further willing victims on the internet.

Police arrested him in December 2002 after a student in Austria alerted them to an advert on the internet seeking a man willing to be killed and eaten.

When the trial opened last month, he confessed in detail to the killing of Mr Brandes.

A verdict is expected as early as February.