Russian draws 14-year term for cannibalism

MOSCOW, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A Russian man accused of killing and eating parts of his mother was sentenced to 14 years and three months in prison, court officials said.

The standard sentence for such a crime is 15 years, but a Russian court ruled Sergei Gavrilov did not resort to cannibalism because of a preference but because of hunger, The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

The unemployed Gavrilov, 27, admitted he used parts of his murdered mother's legs for meals for several weeks, saying he turned to cannibalism because he was broke and hungry, Russian media reported. Gavrilov said he killed his mother last January after she wouldn't turn over her pension check, which he said he wanted for drinking and gambling.

After he spent her money, Gavrilov said he began removing and preparing parts of his mother's body to stave off hunger, the British newspaper said.

"I did not like the flesh," he told police investigators. "It was too fatty."