Police fantasist 'murdered lover during Classic FM bondage session'

A fantasist who posed as an undercover policeman before killing his lover during a bondage session was only caught two years later, when a relative of the victim discovered a video of the killing.

The CCTV clip allegedly shows Jason Marshall, 28, "terrorise" and murder computer repairman Peter Fasoli, 58, in his bungalow in west London as music from Classic FM radio plays in the background.

Marshall then set fire to the property in Northolt in an attempt to cover up the murder, the Old Bailey heard.

An investigation into the January 2013 death concluded Fasoli had died in an accidental fire sparked by a faulty light.

But the court heard how the victim's nephew discovered CCTV footage of the killing while examining his uncle's fire-damaged laptop in November 2014.

Prosecutor Edward Brown QC warned jurors on the opening day of the trial on Monday (31 July) they would be required to view the video.

"The issues in this case are such that you will need to watch what on any account is very disturbing evidence," he said.

The court heard how the defendant first contacted Fasoli via dating site Badoo in December 2012.

He invented the persona of a "law enforcement operative", entered Fasoli's home and sought to dominate and ultimately murder his victim, it was alleged.

Brown said: "There is a telling feature of this case – whilst the defendant sought to tempt the deceased into thinking their encounter that night was to be sexual in nature, the sexual element of the night's events played only a short part early on and soon was superseded by physical domination and then violence."

Detailing the alleged cover-up, Brown added: "The fire was intended to hide a terrible crime. Peter Fasoli was killed intentionally. He had been subjected to a calculated and determined attack by this defendant whom he invited into his home.

"The fire was set by this defendant in an attempt to disguise what truly happened – and the defendant Jason Marshall very nearly succeeded in escaping justice."

Marshall, of East Ham, in east London, denies murder. The trial continues.