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Murder accused Stefano Brizzi 'cooked and ate' part of Greenhithe PC Gordon Semple's body, trial hears

An obsessive Breaking Bad fan who strangled a police officer to death during a drug-fuelled sex game may have cooked and eaten part of the body, a jury heard today.

The DNA of PC Gordon Semple was found on chopsticks and inside a pot at the home of Stefano Brizzi, who had tried to cook parts of his dismembered body in the oven, a court was told.

There was also evidence of a human bite mark on one of PC Semple's ribs.

Gordon Semple disappeared after a hotel meeting
Gordon Semple disappeared after a hotel meeting

It comes after the jury was told police found Mr Semple's severed head in a bucket at Brizzi's flat, and other remains in a bathtub of acid.

Former Morgan Stanley IT worker and crystal meth addict Brizzi, 50, is accused of murdering Mr Semple at his flat in Southwark, south London on April 1, after the pair met for "hot dirty sleazy" sex through gay dating app Grindr.

He chopped up the body, before disposing of parts of it in the River Thames and trying to dissolve other bits in acid in his bathtub, it is claimed.

When officers searched his flat they came across a smell of "rotting meat" and discovered Semple's severed head in a bucket.

Brizzi claimed he had tried to flush the "flabbery bits" down the toilet, the Old Bailey was told.

After his arrest, he asked if he could take a shower, as his bath has been "unusable for days", the court heard.

PC Gordon Semple
PC Gordon Semple

The Italian social worker was obsessed with US hit TV show Breaking Bad where the main character Walter White tries to dissolve the body of a rival in acid, jurors were told.

Brizzi was arrested on April 7 after neighbours complained of a foul smell coming from his flat, which he apparently claimed was burnt food.

Cops found Brizzi's kitchen was messy with plates and cutlery in the sink and the floor and cooker were "very greasy" the court heard.

Inside the washing machine police found carpets, socks and an oven glove.

On his computer, they recovered items including "666 Black Sun", "Bible of C**k", and "The Satanic bible E book", prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC said.

PC Semple's DNA was found on a chopping board, the blade of a blender and the inside of a silver cooking pot, Mr Aylett said.

Forensics officers at the scene investigating Gordon Semple's death. Picture: SWNS
Forensics officers at the scene investigating Gordon Semple's death. Picture: SWNS

A tea strainer was found in a bin outside, which was covered in PC Semple's blood, he added.

Mr Aylett said it all "leads inexorably back to the kitchen".

He told jurors: "The pathologist had noticed that one of the bones in the leg had shown signs of heat damage.

"The handle of the oven was bloodstained. Inside the oven, there was a pool of fat and grease. That contained a DNA profile of Gordon Semple."

He added: "It does not end there.

"From human remains that were recovered from a bin in the kitchen, Dr Swift identified a fragment of the chest wall.

"It would be open to you to find that the defendant cooked part of his body and then ate it" - Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC

"On one of the ribs, he noticed semi-circular indentations, such as to raise the possibility of their having been caused by a human bite mark.

"On the chopsticks on the draining board which were blood stained, Gordon Semple's DNA was also recovered.

"The defendant cannot have confined himself to dismembering Gordon Semple and disposing of his body either in acid or else in the dustbins.

"Instead, the prosecution suggest it would be open to you to find that the defendant cooked part of his body and then ate it."

The court was also told that police initially "went to the wrong Peabody Estate" after they were called on April 7.

But after they eventually arrived at the flat and opened the door, they were struck by an "overpowering smell of chemicals combined with that of rotting meat", Mr Aylett said.

Bottles of chemicals were scattered on the hallway floor, and in the bath were "flesh-coloured globules floating in the liquid", the court heard.

On the floor there were buckets full of liquid, two black bin liners which appeared to be full, and a perforated metal sheet "stained with blood", it was said.

One of the officers, PC Savage, opened a bin bag and saw "what she believed to be a human pelvis", Mr Aylett said.

Gordon Semple
Gordon Semple

A paramedic opened another bag, and found a human hand and part of the spine, jurors were told.

One officer, PC Edwards, told Brizzi they would have to leave the flat, and he went into the bedroom to get a coat.

Inside the bedroom, the cop noticed a crack pipe, and Brizzi pointed to a yellow-brown stain on the floor and said "this is where I s*** myself", the court heard.

Brizzi then went to get some tablets from a box, and told an officer "I have HIV", it was said.

He began to sob and asked, "Will I ever be coming back to the flat?", before claiming "I spoke to Satan and he was telling me to kill, kill, kill and I agreed at the first opportunity", jurors were told.

Officers asked if he had any mental health issues, and he told them he used a lot of crystal meth, Mr Aylett said.

Mr Semple
Mr Semple

Brizzi told them the man he had killed had been called Lee, who claimed their encounter was being recorded.

Mr Aylett said this might suggest Brizzi thought he was being set up and was "experiencing some form of possibly drug-induced paranoid psychosis".

The court heard Brizzi told the officers that after he had killed Lee, he went through his things and found a police badge in the name of Gordon.

Mr Aylett said: "The defendant said that, two days ago, he had put some body parts that he had not been able to break down into a bag and taken them to Rotherhithe and dumped them in a quiet place by the river.

"He said that he had put Lee's personal effects into a sewer in Bermondsey."

Brizzi told the police he had been unable to dissolve the body, as "the chemicals needed to be heated to 300 degrees and he could not get them hot enough", it was said.

"The handle of the oven was bloodstained. Inside the oven, there was a pool of fat and grease. That contained a DNA profile of Gordon Semple" - Crispin Aylett QC

Mr Aylett told jurors: "He said that he had put what he described as the 'flabbery' bits in the buckets in the bathroom."

Brizzi told them that five minutes before they had arrived, someone had knocked on the door and warned him that police were coming - so he had "tried to flush the flabbery bits down the toilet", the prosecutor added.

Mr Aylett said: "He said that the man had been fat and ugly and he had not found him attractive."

Questioned on if he had ever tried to harm himself, Brizzi allegedly said inflict pain on his genitals.

In a police interview later, he was asked where the body parts were.

The court heard Brizzi replied: "If you look at what's left over at home... I think there's still a foot and a hand... I believe there was a leg, yes, definitely there was a leg which I had tried to roast as well.

"But the head is still in my house, although it is cracked, the cranium is cracked. The chest was the hardest thing to crack."

Later that evening, Brizzi, officers and a police dog unit visited where he said he had disposed of the body parts in the River Thames, but nothing was found, it was said.

However, the next day a member of the public, Alan Murphy, found the remains of PC Semple's foot near the Bermondsey Wall, and further body parts were found over the next few days, the court was told.

A post-mortem examination was carried out on April 8, which found PC Semple had been struck in the face while alive, and had been strangled, but later gave the cause of death as "unascertained".

If activated this poorly-conceived measure would mean the Press paying the costs of both sides even if it fended off a claim for libel or invasion of privacy
If activated this poorly-conceived measure would mean the Press paying the costs of both sides even if it fended off a claim for libel or invasion of privacy

Brizzi is said to have strangled to death Mr Semple at some point between 7.04pm and 7.30pm.

Gary Meeks, Mr Semple's partner, tried to ring him at 7.24pm, but the call went to voicemail, as did a second call a few minutes later.

He rang again just after 7.40pm, which was answered, but nobody came on the line, the court heard.

Instead, he could hear a "muffled sound", and could hear "someone breathing and the sound of someone moving about", it was said.

After a few minutes, Mr Meeks hung up and sent a text, but did not receive a reply, jurors were told.

Brizzi, of Southwark, south London, denies murder but admits one count of obstructing the coroner in the execution of duty.

The trial continues.

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