Stephen Griffiths, the self-styled 'crossbow cannibal' who was sentenced to life for the murder of three women. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
At the trial of Stephen Griffiths – the self-named "crossbow cannibal" – the judge is reported to have said: "It is one thing to terrorise and kill, but to dismember and eat parts of the victims takes it to another level of the exertion of power and sexual gratification." As if killing another human being isn't extreme enough, eating them afterwards apparently compounds the seriousness of the crime; it's unforgivable. But given that the real tragedy – the loss of life – has already occurred, what is it that makes cannibalism so disturbing and unacceptable for us?
