31 May 2023 , 13:43
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A man has admitted freezing the leg of an alleged ringleader of an extreme body modifications group, which led to the limb needing to be amputated.
Jacob Crimi-Appleby, 22, from Epsom in Surrey, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Marius Gustavson in February 2019.
Gustavson, originally from Norway, is alleged to have led in a wide-ranging conspiracy involving up to 29 offences of extreme body modifications on 13 victims, the removal and trade of body parts and the uploading of videos.
During a hearing at the Old Bailey, Gustavson, 45, from Haringey, north London, pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to three men on dates in 2018 and 2019.
The charges relate to the alleged clamping and splitting of the genitals of the men, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.
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Jacob Crimi-Appleby arrives at the Old Bailey (PA)
Marius Gustavson is alleged to have led a conspiracy involving extreme body modificationsGustavson, who appeared in court by video link from custody, admitted separate charges of making and distributing indecent videos of a child.
He was not asked to enter pleas on other charges including conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.
Two more men previously admitted removing other body parts belonging Gustavson, who is accused of carrying out castrations and broadcasting the footage on his "eunuch maker" website.
Nurse Nathan Arnold, 48, from South Kensington, west London, admitted the partial removal of Gustavson's nipple, stealing anaesthetic from the hospital where he worked and possessing extreme pornography.
A provisional trial of up to eight weeks has been set at the Old Bailey from March 4 next year (PA Archive/PA Images)Damien Byrnes, 35, from Tottenham, north London, admitted removing Gustavson's penis.
Gustavson's alleged "right-hand man", Peter Wates, 66, from Croydon in south London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm between January 1, 2016 and January 1, 2022.
Wates was alleged to have been involved with nine of the 29 incidents.
Other defendants who appeared by video link and in the dock of the Old Bailey were not asked to enter pleas to charges on the 13-count indictment.
Romanian national Ion Ciucur, 29, who worked in a hotel in Gretna Green, Scotland, is said to have been involved in two incidents in the alleged conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.
Other alleged conspirators are David Carruthers, 60, Janus Atkin, 38, and Ashley Williams, 31, who are all from Newport in Gwent, South Wales.
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The case relates to the practice of extreme body modifications, including the removal of penises and testicles.
The procedures were allegedly filmed and uploaded to the "eunuch maker" website Gustavson ran, and subscribers paid to watch.
The defendants were arrested after police raids in London, Scotland and South Wales.
They are said to have been part of a society in which people willingly undergo extreme body modification.
The practice is linked to a subculture where men become "nullos" - short for genital nullification - by having their penis and testicles removed.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC set a further plea and case management hearing for June 30.
A provisional trial of up to eight weeks has been set at the Old Bailey from March 4 next year.