A 52-year-old professor in Stockholm, Sweden, who allegedly sliced off his wife's lower lip and ate it, has been formally charged with aggravated assault.
The professor, whose name has not been released, is also accused of slicing his wife's arms in the attack, according to TheLocal.se, a Swedish news website.
The Swedish Aftonbladet newspaper first reported back in May that the suspect allegedly flew into a rage after he became suspicious that his much younger wife was having an affair.
"It was honor related. He doesn't seem to regret a thing; he believes she insulted him," a source with knowledge of the matter told Aftonbladet, according to TheLocal.se
Prosecutor Jakob Holmberg told the TT news agency that the man was upset with his wife for requesting a divorce and flew into a jealous rage.
"He did it so that she would never be able to kiss again and said 'I'll get four years, but you're getting a life sentence,'" Holmberg said.
As for why the man allegedly ate the lips, AFP reported that "he didn't want the lips to be able to be sewn back on," according to an unnamed source.
At first, Prosecutors classified the attack as attempted murder, but dropped the charges down to aggravated assault after it became clear during questioning that he never intended to kill his wife.
"He helped her call police and remained there until help arrived," Holmberg told Aftonbladet, according to TheLocal.se
The woman has been in hiding since the attack and while plastic surgeons have reportedly attempted to rebuild her missing lips, sources say her injuries are permanent.
If the man is convicted, he will face between four and 10 years in prison, but Holmberg plans to argue for the maximum sentence possible.
Although earlier reports suggested that the suspect was an employee of the Karolinska Institutet, the medical university released a statement distancing itself from the man saying he is a former employer who is tied to the university through a "declaration of association," a term that means he collaborates with current employees and has access to some of the university's resources.
The attack has been one of many cases involving cannibalism in the last month. The slideshow below offers a round-up of the murder suspects and alleged flesh-eaters who've made the news recently.
PHOTOS: FLESH EATING CRIMES
