Murderer obsessed with Hannibal Lecter films who considered eating his victim after dismembering her is jailed

Published: 11:29, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 11:31, 9 July 2026 A Hannibal Lecter fanatic who toyed with the idea of eating his neighbour after bludgeoning her with a hammer and then dismembering her with an electric saw was jailed for more than 21 years today. Karl Hutchings, 48, cut friend Julie Buckley's body into ten pieces following an argument before concealing her remains in a shallow grave in a remote field. Days later he confessed to a friend that he had attacked the 55-year-old with a hammer and throttled her, although it 'took her 24 hours to die because she just wouldn't die'. On the first day of a two-day sentencing hearing that took place on Monday, prosecutor Christine Agnew KC told the judge: 'He talked about Hannibal Lecter, saying he was obsessed by him and if there was a play he'd be the best person to pick because he wouldn't have to practise. 'He said he could tell her the words from the films word for word.' She continued: 'He said [to his friend] that he had gagged her and that he would have eaten her but he didn't want to put that "toxic person" in his body. 'He said that he would have happily had a "steak dinner" that night.' Karl Hutchings, 48, admitted murdering Julie Buckley, 55 The vile boast reflects the scene in The Silence of the Lambs where cannibalistic serial killer Lecter, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, says: 'A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.' Returning to the court today, Hutchings – who proudly displayed a photo of himself wearing a Lecter-style mask on his Facebook page – was told he would serve a minimum 21 years and one month under his automatic life term, minus 506 days on remand. Recorder Mark Bishop told the defendant he was responsible for an 'eruption of violence' towards his vulnerable victim. 'You aggravated the gravity of what you had done by treating her body with no dignity or respect in death,' he said. 'Her body was stripped and her hair cut and you dismembered her with a saw, the better to bury her in a shallow grave.'  Hutchings showed no emotion as he stood in the glass dock at Cambridge Crown Court to hear his sentence.  Police began an investigation in mid-February last year when concerns were raised for Ms Buckley's welfare. The self-confessed The SIlence of the Lambs 'obsessive' had a photo of him wearing a Hannibal Lecter-style mask on his Facebook page Officers found blood spattered at the house where she was staying in Christchurch, near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, and forensically linked it to her. Checks revealed she had last been seen alive on January 28 when she was caught on CCTV buying groceries at a Budgens supermarket in the nearby village of March. Hutchings was arrested on February 13 and charged with murder - despite it being a rare 'no body' case. He eventually provided detectives with a map of her location in September last year, the day after he admitted killing her. The court heard he changed his plea after learning his mental health would not be taken into account to justify diminished responsibility. Hutchings had been discharged from a mental health facility in August 2024. Ms Agnew told the court earlier this week that the pair were friends who had been neighbours but were living together at the time and were both Class A drug addicts. Soon after the killing, Hutchings began telling friends what had happened. One acquaintance, Caroline Parker, described him as 'hyped and flirty' as he bragged about the murder. 'He said he had hit her with a hammer and strangled her. He said that it took her 24 hours to die because she wouldn't die,' the prosecutor said. Julie Buckley, 55, was bludgeoned with a hammer before her body was cut up with an electric saw 'He said he chopped her up into 27 pieces... he mentioned burying her the next day.' She continued: 'He said it had been an ambition in life and that it was like a drug but he'd never get addicted to it.' Yet Hutchings also told his friend 'If you want anyone killed I can kill them for you', the court heard. Explaining why he attacked his neighbour, Ms Agnew said: 'She wouldn't take him to get his script [slang for ‘prescription’] and she was winding him up by taking her drugs in front of him and not giving him any.' Hutchings sold Ms Buckley's car for £500 after disposing of her and also used her bank card to buy alcohol and withdraw cash at local shops and ATMs. He was arrested on February 25 and muttered 'f****** hell' to officers before claiming he was schizophrenic and had breathing difficulties. Asked if he knew why he was being arrested, he said: 'I understand but I don't understand why.' Forensic checks showed there were blood stains on a sofa at the property where he lived, some of which had 'pooled in crevices'. There was also evidence of blood on a sink, although the bathroom and shower were 'very clean', as were the walls. Sir Anthony Hopkins played Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs films A burnt-out bonfire in the garden had parts of a carpet that matched a missing section in the living room, as well as underlay and clothing. A father and son out fishing around the Sixteen Foot Bank drainage channel near Christchurch had reported finding a reciprocating saw, as well as hair with 'two blades caught' in it on February 20. DNA was found on the handle of the saw that potentially matched Ms Buckley's. But police had to continue 'proof of life' enquiries until the map showing where the body parts had been buried was handed over by Hutchings' legal team long after his arrest. The site in a field in Wimblington was found to have a 'very shallow grave' that had been dug with hand tools and was just 3ft long, 27in wide and 33in deep. Inside were the naked remains of Ms Buckley, who is believed to have been murdered between January 29 and the morning of January 30. A post-mortem examination found she had sustained multiple 'blunt force traumatic injuries' to the skull and other fractures, including to her ribs, nose and left hand, the last probably from warding off blows before becoming incapacitated. None of the injuries were 'immediately fatal', meaning she could have clung on to life 'for some hours'. Miss Buckley, seen alive for the last time while shopping in a Budgens store Ms Agnew told the court: 'Having ended the life of Julie Buckley, he did not even give her a dignified death. 'He stripped her naked and butchered her into small sections... and buried her in a shallow grave.' The defendant spoke to an English teacher while on remand at HMP Peterborough and stated he had cut up his victim because it was easier to move her in pieces. He also told them he had 'waited it out before pleading as he was hoping he could be dealt with on a diminished [responsibility] basis'. Allison Summers KC, defending, said her client - whose previous offences include assault occasioning bodily harm and battery - had a 'history of mental health problems and drug addiction which left him isolated, vulnerable and living on the periphery of society'. He had 'felt sorry' for his victim and 'only let her live with him because he knew what it's like when no one wants you'. Forensic teams search the field in Wimblington The attack had been spontaneous and Hutchings had intended to cause 'serious harm' rather than kill, she added. Ms Summers concluded by admitting the defendant had hoped for 'diminished responsibility' to be considered because he had 'been unwell for some time'. When he learned it would not form part of his case following a psychiatric evaluation, he 'accepted his guilt' and immediately gave the location of the body to police. But Recorder Mark Bishop said: 'It's taken him nine months [to confess to where he hid the remains] and it's only two weeks before the trial. 'He may have decided he had no alternative but to say it.' Hutchings' Facebook page shows a macabre image from March 2019 in which he wore a face mask like the one worn by Hopkins in the 1991 horror film, for which he won an Academy Award. Friends reacted to the picture at the time with one saying: 'U do make laugh lol xx.' Another wrote: 'Ha ha, is this your world book day costume.' Speaking after the guilty plea, DCI Stott said: 'I am pleased Hutchings has finally decided to take responsibility for what he has done and, while it won’t help the pain Julie’s family are feeling, it will make the process easier for them.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.