Cannibal who killed 26 people and ate their livers was only caught after making mistake with phone call

A cannibal serial killer's tiny mistake ultimately led to his arrest.

Notorious South Korean murderer Yoo Young-chul had a long-running criminal history following a spree of crimes committed between 1988 to 1998.

But it wasn't until 2000 that Yoo found himself behind bars after being convicted for raping a 15-year-old girl.

He was sentenced to three years and six months in jail for sexual assault and, upon his release, Yoo's crimes became increasingly more sinister.

Following his rape conviction, Yoo - who was later dubbed 'The Raincoat Killer' - was divorced by his wife and he later started another relationship.

But this romance also ended with Yoo being dumped, sparking his newfound hatred of women.

While in prison, the criminal became obsessed with Korean serial killer Jeong Du-yeong, who was known for targeting rich people. With this in mind, Yoo started targeting both the rich and women.

According to the Korean Herald, Yoo would later claim: "Women should not be sl*ts, and the rich should know what they have done."

Less than two weeks after leaving jail, Yoo murdered his first victims: 72-year-old university professor Lee Deok-su and his 68-year-old wife, Lee Eun-ok.

Over the following months, he killed another five people from wealthy families and a housekeeper.

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Police struggled to find a link between the murder victims and as a result couldn't pinpoint who the serial killer was.

Yoo proceeded to target sex workers and would reportedly mutilate their bodies with axes, knives and even scissors, to cut them into several pieces after killing them.

He'd also eat parts of his victims to supposedly 'cleanse his spirit' - their livers in particular.

Yoo continued his murderous streak into 2004 before he made a huge mistake that led to his arrest.

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He called a massage parlour where he'd targeted several of its employees using one of his victims' phones.

Recognizing the employee's cell number, the owner of the parlor agreed a meeting place with Yoo before notifying the police, who sent one of their officers.

The police officer ended up leaving before the serial killer arrived, leaving employees of the massage parlor to detain him before police took him into custody.

But Yoo managed to escape. He was re-arrested just 12 hours later, however.

The criminal went on to admit to killing 26 people and earned the nickname 'The Raincoat Killer' as he wore a yellow raincoat when he lead police to the bodies of his victims.

In 2005, Yoo was sentenced to death by hanging - but the 53-year-old still remains on death row.

South Korea hasn't carried out an execution since 1997.