Connect with us

Published

on

The leader of an extreme body modification ring claimed £18,500 in disability benefits after being the “willing victim” of a procedure to amputate his leg, a court has been told.

Warning: The following article contains graphic details of extreme physical mutilation

Norwegian national Marius Gustavson, 46, set up the “eunuch maker” website, where people subscribed and were charged a pay-per-view fee in order to watch footage of the procedures, the Old Bailey was told.

Caroline Carberry KC said he led the “widespread practice” of extreme body modification over more than five years, including “the removal of genitals and testicles, clamping of testicles to the point of castration and the freezing of a limb required to be amputated”.

Ten men have been charged over their alleged participation in the practice, including Damien Byrnes, 36, nurse Nathaniel Arnold, 48, and Jacob Crimi-Appleby, 23, who are being sentenced at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm (GBH).

Gustavson was said to be the “willing victim” when Byrnes cut off his penis, Arnold removed the tip of his nipple and Crimi-Appleby froze his left leg at his flat in Harringay, north London.

Gustavson, who has admitted charges including conspiracy to commit GBH, faces sentencing at a later date and was refused permission by Judge Mark Lucraft KC to attend Friday’s hearing.

Jacob Crimi-Appleby arrives at the Old Bailey in central London, where he pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Marius Gustavson in February 2019. The 22-year-old admitted freezing the leg of the alleged ringleader of an extreme body modifications group requiring the limb's amputation. Picture date: Wednesday May 31, 2023.
Image:
Jacob Crimi-Appleby admitted freezing Gustavson’s leg

Crimi-Appleby, from Epsom, Surrey, has admitted freezing Gustavson’s left leg so that it had to be amputated in February 2019.

They first started communicating when Crimi-Appleby was 17, but he told Gustavson he was 18.

He said he was interested in castration and Gustavson told Crimi-Appleby that he was a “great age”, and encouraged him to have the procedure.

They began a sexual relationship in early 2019, with Gustavson boasting about other modifications and keeping the testicles of other men in a jar, which Crimi-Appleby thought was “awesome”.

A video for the eunuch maker website shows Gustavson sitting on a bed with his left leg in a bucket saying “ooh this is cold” as Crimi-Appleby adds dry ice.

Gustavson was treated at the Royal Free Hospital following the procedure, which lasted at least eight hours and eventually resulted in his left leg being amputated below the knee.

Read more from Sky News:
Mother and ex-boyfriend jailed for Alfie Phillips murder

Three men accidentally cleared in murder trial after jury ‘makes mistake’

Medical notes state: “Self-amputation by freezing the leg can pose risks to both life and limb.”

He was discharged around two months after the amputation and received £18,500 in benefits between July 2019 and October 2021 after making a successful claim for Personal Independent Payment – to help people with extra costs of living with a health condition or disability.

Byrnes, who was initially hired by Gustavson as an escort, “readily agreed” to perform a modification, knowing it would be filmed and uploaded to the website to generate revenue, the court was told.

His face was clearly shown in the video of him removing Gustavson’s penis using a kitchen knife in what was described as “a life-threatening procedure performed in a non-medical environment”.

He is heard to say: “Well that’s one off the bucket list. I never expected that one,” and asks Gustavson: “Would you eat humans?”

Gustavson called an ambulance following the procedure and was taken to hospital for treatment.

The court heard Byrnes, from Tottenham, north London, was initially offered £500 and his motivation was “financial rather than sexual”, although it is not clear how much he was paid.

Arnold, from South Kensington, west London, admitted removing the tip of Gustavson’s nipple with a disposable surgical blade in the summer 2019.

He also admitted the theft of local anaesthetic lidocaine from the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where he worked in the dermatology unit as a nurse, and possession of extreme pornography.

Referred to as “Nurse Nate” in messages by Gustavson, the prosecutor said he was both a “victim”, having undergone a genital mutilation procedure himself, and a perpetrator of harm.

The case continues.

Continue Reading

UK

Elianne Andam: Teenager who stabbed 15-year-old to death in Croydon guilty of murder

Published

on

By

Elianne Andam: Teenager who stabbed 15-year-old to death in Croydon guilty of murder

The teenager who stabbed 15-year-old Elianne Andam to death in a row over a teddy bear has been found guilty of murder.

Hassan Sentamu, 18, attacked Elianne with a kitchen knife in “white-hot anger at having been disrespected” after she stood up for his ex-girlfriend, the Old Bailey heard.

He had been due to return items including a teddy bear to Elianne’s friend following their break-up but instead came armed, wearing two pairs of gloves and a facemask.

Elianne collapsed outside the Whitgift Centre in central Croydon, south London, after being stabbed four times in what police described as a “frenzied” attack, which was caught on CCTV, on 27 September 2023.

Body worn footage of Hassan Sentamu being arrested following the fatal stabbing of Elianne Andam. Pic: Met Police
Image:
Sentamu was arrested within 90 minutes. Pic: Met Police

Her friend compared Sentamu to a character from the Netflix crime drama Top Boy and said Elianne had her hand out begging him to “stop”.

He threw his gloves and mask in a bin and hid the knife in a garden but was arrested within 90 minutes after police stopped a bus near his home in New Addington.

Sentamu, who was 17 at the time, admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the basis of “loss of control” because he has autism.

There were sobs in the public as he was found guilty by a majority verdict of 10 to two, while he stood propping himself up with both arms in the dock and crying.

He was also found guilty on a charge of having a blade. Sentamu had also denied this charge – claiming he had a lawful reason for carrying it.

Grime artist Stormzy was among thousands of mourners who gathered at a candlelit vigil after Elianne – who went to the private Old Palace of John Whitgift School – was killed, and there is now a memorial to her at the scene.

Stormzy
Image:
Stormzy among mourners. Pic: PA

‘I’ll do it again’

The month after Elianne’s death, Sentamu got into a row with a fellow inmate in youth custody and when he was accused of killing girls, said: “I’ll do it again,” the court heard.

“I’ll do it to your mum,” he said. “Do you want to end up like her, six feet under? I’ll do the same again.”

Sentamu, who came to the UK aged five with his mother and three sisters, had a history of violent and aggressive behaviour, as well as making repeated threats to take his own life.

He was given a police caution after pulling a knife out in class and telling a teacher he wanted to kill himself when he was just 12 years old.

Sentamu was expelled from one school after threatening another child with a knife and in other incidents put girls in headlocks and threatened to stab a student with a pair of scissors.

While in foster care he threatened to harm a cat or chop off its tail, the court heard.

Elianne with her friends. Pic: Met Police/PA
Image:
Elianne with her friends. Pic: Met Police/PA

‘I can’t let this slide’

Weeks before he killed Elianne, who wanted to become a human rights lawyer, Sentamu said: “The real me is evil, dark and miserable” in a message to a friend.

The day before the attack, he had met Elianne and her friend, who had recently split up with him, at the Whitgift Centre, where the girls “teased” him and his ex-girlfriend splashed him with water.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Attack caught on CCTV

Sentamu, who was studying sports science at Croydon College, later sent what police called a “chilling” message to a friend saying: “I can’t let this slide bro.”

He met Elianne, his ex-girlfriend and another of their friends the following day to swap belongings.

The girl handed him a plastic bag of his clothes, but he did not have her teddy bear as arranged, and Eliane snatched the bag back.

compile of screengrabs from court-released video linked to the trial of Hassan Sentamu accused of fatally stabbing 15-year-old Elianne Andam in Croydon
Image:
Pics: Met Police

Sentamu stabbed Elianne with kitchen knife. Pic: Met Police/PA
Image:
Sentamu stabbed Elianne with a kitchen knife. Pic: Met Police/PA

A Snapchat video shows Elianne smiling and laughing before her expression turned to “abject terror,” jurors were told.

Sentamu pulled the kitchen knife from his trousers and repeatedly stabbed her, plunging the blade 12cm into her neck.

‘He exacted vengeance on a girl running away’

Prosecutor Alex Chalk KC earlier told jurors Sentamu was “angry… having brooded on the insult and he took the knife to the scene to reassert dominance”.

“He exacted vengeance on a young girl clearly running away from him and posing no threat,” he said.

Sentamu, who was diagnosed with autism in 2020, did not give evidence.

His barrister Pavlos Panayi KC said it was not disputed the killing was a “grotesque overreaction” but the “central issue” in the case was Sentamu’s autism history and symptoms.

Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Becky Woodsford said it was a “violent, aggressive and frenzied knife attack on a young girl”.

“Elianne was doing what was right, she was standing up for her friend,” she added.

Continue Reading

UK

Russian drone shot down near presidential palace during Starmer’s Ukraine visit

Published

on

By

Russian drone shot down near presidential palace during Starmer's Ukraine visit

Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to the presidential palace in Kyiv was met with a message from Russia when a drone was blasted out of the sky above.

The prime minister was meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the next steps for Ukraine, on Sir Keir’s first visit to Kyiv since his election victory last July.

The sound of anti-aircraft gunfire was audible in the palace courtyard as air sirens warned of possible drone attacks. While air sirens blaring are a daily occurrence in Ukraine, it’s rare for drones to be shot out of the sky over the presidential palace.

One drone was shot down, although eyewitnesses think there were at least two drones operating and suspect they were probably surveillance drones, as the one taken out didn’t explode on impact.

President Zelenskyy gave his Russian enemies short shrift, saying when the drone was detected: “We will say hello to them too.”

Politics latest: UK to give Ukraine new air defence system

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Starmer and Zelenskyy lay flowers at memorial

An audacious move by Moscow, Sir Keir said the drone threat was “a reminder of what Ukraine is facing every day” and that the war was brought about by “Russian aggression”.

The PM reiterated his support for Ukraine’s eventual accession to NATO, and noted the discussion at the NATO summit in Washington last year – when its allies put Ukraine on an “irreversible path” to NATO membership.

However, President Zelenskyy, perhaps with an eye on the incoming Trump administration, was more forthright in his response to the question of Western allies supporting Ukraine’s membership. He told reporters the US, Slovakia, Germany and Hungary “cannot see us in NATO”.

President Trump has recently acknowledged Moscow’s longstanding opposition to Ukraine’s ambition to join NATO, given it would mean, as the president-elect said: “Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I can understand their feeling about that.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Starmer visits burns victims

‘Nothing is off the table’

This was a news conference big on symbolism as Sir Keir vowed to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes and put Kyiv in the strongest possible position for negotiations with Russia.

He pledged to work with Ukraine in the months ahead to ensure security guarantees for the country in any ceasefire deal, while also opening the door to possible troop deployments in training or a peacekeeping capacity, saying “nothing is off the table”.

“We must be totally clear – a just and lasting peace comes through strength,” said Sir Keir.

Keir Starmer poses for photos with staff members at a hospital in Kyiv.
Pic: PA
Image:
Keir Starmer poses for photos with staff members at a hospital in Kyiv. Pic: PA

The PM also pledged to send 1,540 artillery barrels to Ukraine as President Zelenskyy called for more weapons, blaming Russia’s advance in the eastern part of Ukraine on the slow supply of weapons.

A new mobile defence system and a ramping up in the training of troops were also promised by Sir Keir.

President Zelenskyy also acknowledged in the news conference that much is uncertain around this conflict and what security guarantees Ukraine might get from its allies ahead of conversations with Trump.

Continue Reading

UK

Hospitals ‘jampacked’ after busiest week of winter – but flu cases fall

Published

on

By

Hospitals 'jampacked' after busiest week of winter - but flu cases fall

The NHS says hospitals in England are “jampacked” after their busiest week of the winter so far – but flu cases have fallen slightly.

Despite another 1,300 beds being opened up, only 6% of the nearly 104,000 total were free – down from 7.2%.

Flu continues to have a huge impact – with cases 3.5 times higher than last year – however, numbers are down from their recent peak.

NHS England said 4,929 beds were occupied by flu patients on average for the week ending 12 January, a dip of 9% from the 5,408 the week before.

It comes as many hospitals, in places such as Liverpool, Birmingham and Plymouth, have recently been forced to declare critical incidents due to flu cases pushing them to the brink.

“While it is encouraging news flu cases are no longer increasing, hospitals are not out of the woods yet,” said Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care.

“Staff are working incredibly hard in sometimes challenging surroundings, but winter viruses are much higher than usual for this time of year.

More on Nhs

“And this coupled with the cold snap and problems discharging patients means hospitals are jampacked with patients – even as more beds have been opened to manage increased demand.”

There were 650 patients in hospital with vomiting bug norovirus last week, a rise of 4% on the previous seven days and 44% on last year; while 1,112 people were hospitalised with COVID.

For all winter viruses combined, bed occupation was 5,851, down 8% on the week before but far higher than the 2,169 last year.

Around 29 million flu, RSV and COVID vaccines have been carried this season and while the national booking system has shut, eligible people can still get a free jab at pharmacies or via their GP.

Meanwhile, the latest stats also show handover times from ambulance to A&E improved in the most recent week.

The average was just over 41 minutes, compared with nearly 54 minutes in the previous seven days. However, that’s still slower than the 38 minutes recorded last year.

Read more:
How is your local NHS coping?

Many staff are now under the same pressure as they were “during the height of the pandemic”, NHS England boss Professor Sir Stephen Powis said last week.

Nurses have also revealed some patients are dying in corridors and going undiscovered for hours, according to a Royal College of Nursing report.

It said demoralised staff were looking after as many as 40 patients in a single corridor, unable to access oxygen, cardiac monitors, suction and other lifesaving equipment.

Continue Reading

Trending