The brother of a mum killed by a cannibal wants to meet him, “look him in the eyes” – and find out what he did with her body.
Michael Paterson aims to sit down face-to-face with David Harker as part of the restorative justice programme.
Harker strangled Julie Paterson, 31, in 1998 and ate her leg in a scene police likened to Silence of the Lambs, in which Sir Anthony Hopkins played killer Hannibal Lecter.
For more than two decades Harker has refused to reveal what he did with other body parts – even taunting his victim’s family from prison with cruel notes.
Grieving Michael, 56, told the Sunday People: “I want to go to prison, look Harker in the eyes, and demand to know what he did with my sister.
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“I can’t move on with my life until I know. He is sick. I want him to tell me what he did with Julie’s body so I can move on with my life.
"He shouldn’t be released until that happens.”
Harker, then aged 24, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Julie in Darlington on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
A judge at Teesside crown court sentenced him to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should not be eligible for parole for at least 14 years.
But he could be freed if a parole board deems he is no longer a risk.
However, Michael claims Harker “prevented the lawful and decent burial” of his sister, a mother of four.
And he intends to lodge a complaint with police which he hopes could spark a fresh investigation and prolong Harker’s time in prison – unless he reveals what he did with Julie’s remains.
Her family raised the possibility of quizzing Harker after prison chiefs included details of the rehab process in an information pack.
No cannibal has ever been involved in a restorative justice meeting.
Any summit could be part of a new parole bid – but Harker will have to agree to the meeting.
A source said: “It would clearly need to be a highly secure meeting.
"Harker’s crimes were unspeakable.”
Restorative justice is aimed at helping victims and perpetrators.
It involves offenders and people affected by the crime quizzing each other in an effort to move forward with their lives – and prevent further crimes.
Jacob Dunne was 18 when he was jailed for manslaughter for the one-punch killing of James Hodgkinson in Nottingham in 2011.
Dunne later met his 28-year-old victim’s parents and the trio went on to launch a violence awareness campaign in a case hailed as huge success story.
