Man charged after botched castration attempt at his Florida home

Gary Van Ryswyk 'dropped the ball on this one', Sheriffs say.

Gary Van Ryswyk told investigators he had performed a similar operation on himself. (Highlands County Sheriff's Office)

Investigators described the case as "kinda nuts" after they charged a man who performed a botched castration on another man at his Florida home.

Gary Van Ryswyk, 74, had "dropped the ball on this one," the Highlands County Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post after they charged him with the second-degree felony of practising medicine without a license resulting in bodily injury.

Officers attended his home in the city of Sebring after someone hung up a 911 call from the property, the post said.

Once they arrived, he explained that he had attempted to remove the testicles of a 53-year-old man he had met a week earlier on a dark web website "for people who have a castration fetish".

"He told the victim that he had experience on animals and had even removed one of his own testicles in 2012," the post said.

It added: "Deputies found the man on the bed with a towel over his groin, which was bleeding heavily. Nearby, there was a pink container which held two body parts that had recently been much closer to the victim. The victim was taken to the hospital and was later flown to a regional medical center. He is listed in stable condition."

It is unclear whether his testicles were reattached.

Mr Van Ryswyk told Sheriffs that he had attempted and failed a similar operation with a different man several years ago, in a motel. He also claimed to have removed one of his own testicles in 2012.

Investigators found a section of him home organised as “makeshift surgical room,” including medical equipment, and painkillers purchased online from England, the Facebook post said, adding that he also had a camera set up to record the procedure.

Mr Van Ryswyk is currently being held in jail on a $250,000 (£205,000) bond.

The Sheriffs said that most 911 hang up calls "don’t make the cut when it comes to being memorable", but "this one will definitely hang around in the memory for a while."