A French prisoner has gone on trial for ripping out his cellmate's lung and eating it.
Nicolas Cocaign had warned prison staff of what might happen
Nicolas Cocaign admitted responsibility at the court in Rouen: "I made several appeals for help, saying I was a man capable of being dangerous. I took action, and then they took me seriously."
The 39-year-old faces life in prison if convicted for the murder of Thierry Baudry in 2007.
He said he flew into an "uncontrollable" rage after Baudry gave him a "dirty look" after he ordered him to wash his hands after using the toilet in the tiny cell they shared.
"I had a sexual urge, an adrenaline rush," Cocaign told the transfixed court.
He said that after beating Baudry, he took a pair of scissors and plunged it into his back, neck and chest a dozen times before holding a plastic bag over his head "for five minutes" to suffocate him.
"I take a razor blade and I open his chest. I plunge my hand in and I take out what I think is the heart but which in fact is a piece of lung, which I put into a Tupperware container," Cocaign said.
Before the trial Cocaign, whose face is covered in tattoos of tears and a skull, told investigators he had wanted to eat the victim's heart to "take his soul".
A medical examiner testifying at the trial said the victim was still alive when his cellmate cut into him.
Dr Patrick Laburthe, who performed the autopsy on Baudry, said a piece of his lung had been removed "with almost surgical precision, with a very sharp blade".
"We also found blood in Thierry Baudry's right lung, which means he was still alive when the organ was cut," he told the court.
Baudry's mutilated body was found by a prison guard and the post-mortem revealed two chest muscles and part of his left lung was missing.
His family were not in court for the medical examiner's testimony because their lawyer told them the horrific details might be too much for them.
Nicolas Cocaign's mother Genevieve arrives at the court on Thursday
Cocaign remained expressionless during the medical examiner's testimony.
Earlier, Cocaign told the court he had a long history of mental problems and that the murder might have been avoided if prison authorities had not ignored his repeated appeals for psychological help.
The court also heard of Cocaign's troubled life - he was adopted aged three, and has had many scrapes with the law.
At the time of the killing, he was behind bars on an armed robbery conviction and was awaiting trial in two other cases, including for attempted rape while armed.
Mental health experts have been asked to testify as to whether Cocaign was sufficiently sane to be responsible for his acts.
The trial continues.
Nicolas Cocaign had warned prison staff of what might happen
Nicolas Cocaign admitted responsibility at the court in Rouen: "I made several appeals for help, saying I was a man capable of being dangerous. I took action, and then they took me seriously."
The 39-year-old faces life in prison if convicted for the murder of Thierry Baudry in 2007.
He said he flew into an "uncontrollable" rage after Baudry gave him a "dirty look" after he ordered him to wash his hands after using the toilet in the tiny cell they shared.
"I had a sexual urge, an adrenaline rush," Cocaign told the transfixed court.
He said that after beating Baudry, he took a pair of scissors and plunged it into his back, neck and chest a dozen times before holding a plastic bag over his head "for five minutes" to suffocate him.
"I take a razor blade and I open his chest. I plunge my hand in and I take out what I think is the heart but which in fact is a piece of lung, which I put into a Tupperware container," Cocaign said.
Before the trial Cocaign, whose face is covered in tattoos of tears and a skull, told investigators he had wanted to eat the victim's heart to "take his soul".
A medical examiner testifying at the trial said the victim was still alive when his cellmate cut into him.
Dr Patrick Laburthe, who performed the autopsy on Baudry, said a piece of his lung had been removed "with almost surgical precision, with a very sharp blade".
"We also found blood in Thierry Baudry's right lung, which means he was still alive when the organ was cut," he told the court.
Baudry's mutilated body was found by a prison guard and the post-mortem revealed two chest muscles and part of his left lung was missing.
His family were not in court for the medical examiner's testimony because their lawyer told them the horrific details might be too much for them.
Nicolas Cocaign's mother Genevieve arrives at the court on Thursday
Cocaign remained expressionless during the medical examiner's testimony.
Earlier, Cocaign told the court he had a long history of mental problems and that the murder might have been avoided if prison authorities had not ignored his repeated appeals for psychological help.
The court also heard of Cocaign's troubled life - he was adopted aged three, and has had many scrapes with the law.
At the time of the killing, he was behind bars on an armed robbery conviction and was awaiting trial in two other cases, including for attempted rape while armed.
Mental health experts have been asked to testify as to whether Cocaign was sufficiently sane to be responsible for his acts.
The trial continues.
