US-CRIME-TRIAL-CANNIBAL-BRITAIN-FILES

US-CRIME-TRIAL-CANNIBAL-BRITAIN-FILES

(FILES) February 25, 2013 file photo shows view of Federal Courthouse in Manhattan where the trial of New York Police Department officer Gilberto Valle, accused of conspiring to kidnap women that he planned to cook and eat in New York. The founder of an extreme fetish website used by New York’s “cannibal cop” testified March 5, 2013 that online chats about women being eaten were a typical fantasy and compared his forum to Facebook. Sergey Merenkov, the first witness called by suspended policeman Gilberto Valle’s defense team, told the court his site darkfetishnet.com, a favorite of the accused, was “a social network.” Valle, 28, visited darkfetishnet.com for Internet chats on horrific — but he claims entirely fictional — scenarios about torturing, murdering and cannibalizing women. Prosecutors wrapped up their case on Monday, saying Valle should be found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap women that he discussed abducting and eating. AFP PHOTO / Stan HONDA / FILES