‘Eunuch maker’ jailed for 22 years for carrying out castrations live online

A man nicknamed ‘The Eunuch Maker’ who performed illegal castrations and livestreamed them on the dark web has been jailed for 22 years.

Marius Gustavson, 46, was the ringleader of an ‘extreme body modification’ group based in Kensington, London, which removed at least 29 people’s penises, testicles and other body parts.

The operations were filmed and uploaded to Gustavson’s ‘Eunuch Maker’ website to paying subscribers, netting the Norwegian over £300,000 over a six year period.

Wheelchair-bound Gustavson, who forced the NHS to amputate his leg after freezing it, also had his own penis and one of his nipples removed by a male escort, which he kept in a drawer for four years until it was discovered by police during a raid on his home.

The so-called Eunuch Maker also kept a freezer stocked with various body parts at his home in Tottenham, London, including testicles which he had chopped off other men.

Gustavson previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) and one count of possessing criminal property, namely money.

He also admitted making and distributing two indecent videos of a child between January 2017 and January 2020.

During a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday, the court heard how the breakdown of Gustavson’s 11-year marriage became the ‘trigger’ for his activities.

Rashvinderjeet Panesar, defending Gustavson, said: ‘When it came to an end it sent him into a spiral.

‘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.’

The lawyer said Gustavson had been diagnosed with body identity integrity disorder, and had not participated in any body modification before the end of his marriage

Assisting him with the endeavour was a group of eight other men including a surgeon, three surgical assistants and a male escort, who have pleaded guilty to committing GBH.

Jacob Crimi-Appleby, 23, was jailed for three years and eight months, while Nathaniel Arnold, 48, was given a two year suspended sentence.

Both admitted to removing Gustavson’s body parts.

Male escort Damien Byres, 36, was also jailed for five years for cutting off Gustavson’s penis with a kitchen knife at his home on February 18, 2017, claiming such an act was on his ‘bucket list’.

Extremely graphic video footage of the event showed Gustavson gagged and strapped to the bed by Byres as he prepared to perform the procedure.

Prosecutor Caroline Carberry, KC told the court: ‘Byrnes places a gag around Mr Gustavson’s head and mouth and he kneels at the foot of the bed between Mr Gustavson’s legs. He is wearing gloves and holding a red kitchen knife in his right hand.

Ms Carberry said: ‘Byrnes holds it and pulls the tube out of it and shows it to Mr Gustavson who, once ungagged, tells Mr Byrnes to place the severed penis on his belly, which he does.

‘Mr Byrnes then lifts the severed penis and holds it towards Mr Gustavson’s face. Mr Gustavson licks the end of it and declares that it is “awesome”.

The court was shown a blurred ‘selfie’ video of Gustavson sucking on a severed penis.

Other members of the group include Gustavson’s right-hand-man, the surgeon Peter Wates, 67, Romanian Ion Ciucur, 30, German Stefan Scharf, 61.

The other three are former surgical assistant David Carruthers, 61, his boyfriend Ashley Williams, 32, and Janus Atkin, 39, all from South Wales.

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