LONDON, March 16 (UPI) -- The British government may review its mental health system after strong criticism of its handling of cannibal killer Peter Bryan.
Bryan was sentenced to two life sentences for manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility Tuesday. In one attack, he killed his friend Brian Cherry, 45, then fried his brains in butter and ate them.
He committed the killings after being released by a secret three-man tribunal from Rampton Special Hospital in January 2002 where he had been detained for killing a woman.
Described by one psychiatrist as "the most dangerous man I have ever assessed," Bryan said in interviews at Broadmoor Hospital eating body parts was part of a voodoo ritual he used to transfer victims' power to himself.
An independent inquiry into the circumstances of his release has been established. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said Wednesday Health Secretary John Reid and Home Secretary Charles Clarke were discussing possible changes to the Mental Health Bill under consideration in Parliament "to re-balance the rights of society with those of individuals."
