It was a murder so savage and horrific that a Crown Court Judge declared it the most gruesome he had ever presided over – and the killing sent shockwaves throughout the gay community and wider UK society when details came to light of the crime.
The inaugural Mr Gay UK, crowned in 1993, was found guilty of murdering and dismembering his boyfriend before cutting up his flesh and consuming it.
The name Anthony Morley became synonymous with cannibalism during a trial that shocked West Yorkshire and the rest of the country.
Morley was 36-years-old when he was convicted of Damian Oldfield’s murder in October 2008 at Leeds Crown Court and was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison, reported Yorkshire Live.
At the time, The Mirror reported that Judge James Stewart QC told Morley during his sentencing: “This is one of the most gruesome murders I have encountered. I associated cannibalism with eras long gone, with the tale of Robinson Crusoe. No longer.”
Morley stabbed his 33-year-old partner to death after they watched Brokeback Mountain in bed together. He then sliced up and cooked the victim’s flesh before eating a piece.
There was applause from Leeds Crown Court on the announcement of his sentencing which occurred a few weeks after jurors were informed about how Morley, a former chef, was said to have seasoned pieces of Damien’s flesh and cooked it. A chewed piece of the murdered man’s body was later discovered in a kitchen bin.
Morley had denied murdering the advertising salesman, claiming he had attempted to rape him. In a scene straight out of a horror film, Morley was spotted walking to a local takeaway in his blood-soaked dressing gown and flip-flops. He calmly requested the staff to ring the police and then sat outside, awaiting arrest.
Mr Andrew Stubbs, QC, prosecuting, recounted to the jury how Morley had planned to meet Damien, an employee for the publishers of a gay magazine titled Bent, in Leeds during April 2007.
Earlier that day, the two exchanged text messages, with Morley confessing in one: “Never been really properly gay. Tried being bi, tried being straight but never been a hundred per cent happy. Maybe one day I will find happiness.”
The evening progressed with the pair returning to Morley’s residence in Leeds, where he prepared a meal for them both. The situation took a gruesome turn when they went upstairs, and Damien suffered a fatal throat slash beneath the duvet before collapsing to the floor, where he was repeatedly stabbed, with some wounds inflicted post-mortem.
A shocking discovery awaited the police. A nine-inch piece of skin and flesh, nipple included, had been cut from the victim’s chest and left by the corpse, with a bank card obscenely placed over the horrific wound. Another eight-inch strip had been removed from his thigh.
The prosecutor revealed to the court that officers found six pieces of the deceased’s cooked flesh on a chopping board. He continued, revealing the macabre detail that: “A further piece of cooked flesh which appeared to have been chewed was later found in a bin bag in the kitchen.”
Morley’s DNA was conclusively matched to saliva found on the flesh. And upon being arrested, he reportedly informed officers: “Someone tried to rape me and I have killed that person. “
Following his detention, he allegedly muttered: “I cooked him a nice meal. I said to take it slow, why did he do that?”