‘Cannibal’ con will be freed soon

A New Jersey sadist convicted of planning to turn his online cannibal fantasies into reality got a sentence Tuesday that will allow him to soon breath fresh air for the first time in more than five years.

Michael Van Hise (photo) was the third and final sicko to be sentenced for his role in the “Cannibal Cop” scandal that first made headlines in 2012. A legal challenge of the 28-year-old’s conviction at trial in March 2014 delayed his sentencing until Tuesday, when Manhattan Federal Judge Paul Gardephe gave him seven years behind bars, including time served.

“In some ways Mr. Van Hise appears not to have advanced beyond childhood,” Gardephe said. “Mr. Van Hise’s crime is a product of abuse he suffered as a child and social isolation.” But he added Van Hise’s crime went beyond “idle talking or mere chatter.”

Van Hise has already served five and a half years behind bars for plotting to torture and kill members of his family who were as young as 1. He has mostly been locked up at Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan, which is intended for inmates awaiting trial. Van Hise has been indoors for more than 2,000 days, save for moments when he’s being taken to court, his attorney Alice Fontier noted, calling the conditions “extremely harsh.”

Under federal rules, Van Hise will likely be able to soon live in a halfway house, Fontier said. He’ll be eligible for release as soon as January.

Van Hise said he’d tried to improve himself while locked up, noting his participation in various programs available to inmates. “I learned I need to be more careful and use good judgment,” Van Hise said.

Police learned of Van Hise’s deranged online discussions while investigating Gilberto Valle, then an NYPD officer. Valle was eventually exonerated of charges related to his online fantasies of kidnapping and consuming women.