Marius Gustavson, 46, made almost £300,000 through his "eunuch maker" website, which amassed a "staggering" 22,841 users, the Old Bailey was told.

The Norwegian national was the "mastermind" behind the "lucrative business" which shared images of "dangerous, unnecessary and life-changing surgeries" carried out by people with no medical qualifications, prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC said.

She said the "nature and scale" of the procedures, including penis removal, castration and freezing of limbs that needed to be amputated, "is without precedent".

Gustavson set up a pay-per-view website using the "swaggering" name "eunuch maker" to advertise his services, which became increasingly professional, she said.

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The court heard customers paid to view footage of a single procedure or could take out various levels of subscription, one of which cost £100 a year.

In one video shown in court, Gustavson - who had his own penis cut off, the tip of his nipple removed and his leg frozen so that it had to be amputated - is seen "tasting" a severed penis.

Ms Carberry said body parts, including testicles, were kept in his freezer, while Gustavson's own penis was found in a drawer in his home almost four years after it was amputated.

She said "some of the items may have been sold" while there "was clear evidence of cannibalism" and images found on his phone from 22 June 2018 show "he cooked some testicles for lunch".

"The images, from raw ingredients to an artfully arranged salad platter, were discovered by officers," she said.

The court was shown images of vegetables including potatoes, cucumber and tomatoes, with the testicles fried on a griddle pan, as well as what Ms Carberry said were "actual nuts" such as cashews.

The procedures were carried out at his home in north London, rented apartments or hotels, and the victims, including a 16-year-old boy, were promised money from the video revenue, the court heard.