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Sadomasochist found guilty of murdering London police officer Sadomasochist found guilty of murdering London police officer
(about 1 hour later)
A crystal meth user who was obsessed with Breaking Bad has been found guilty of murdering a police officer whom he had invited to his flat for a drug-fuelled sex session. A crystal meth user obsessed with Breaking Bad has been found guilty of murdering a police officer he invited to his flat for a drug-fuelled sex session.
Stefano Brizzi, 50, strangled Gordon Semple and dissolved his body in acid in a bath, mirroring a method of disposal employed by Walter White, the lead character in the hit US TV series. Stefano Brizzi, 50, strangled Gordon Semple, 59, and dissolved his body in acid in a bath, mirroring a method of disposal employed by Walter White, the lead character in the hit US TV series.
Brizzi cooked other parts of the 59-year-old officer’s body, and possible bite marks were found on a rib, leading the prosecution to accuse him of cannibalism. Brizzi cooked other parts of the officer’s body, and possible bite marks were found on a rib, leading the prosecution to accuse him of cannibalism.
Brizzi admitted dismembering and disposing of Semple’s body but claimed that the officer, who served in the Metropolitan police force for 30 years, died accidentally during a sex game after a dog leash around his neck slipped. Brizzi admitted dismembering and disposing of Semple’s body, but claimed that the officer, who served in the Metropolitan police for 30 years, died accidentally during a sex game after a dog leash around his neck slipped.
On Thursday a jury at the Old Bailey convicted the Italian national of murder by a 10-to-two majority. On Monday, after more than 30 hours of deliberation, a jury at the Old Bailey convicted the Italian national of murder by a 10 to two majority.
Brizzi, a former web developer who lost his job at Morgan Stanley as a result of his crystal meth addiction, broke down a number of times during the trial as the prosecution detailed the gruesome nature of the allegations. He showed no emotion as the jury returned its verdict.Brizzi, a former web developer who lost his job at Morgan Stanley as a result of his crystal meth addiction, broke down a number of times during the trial as the prosecution detailed the gruesome nature of the allegations. He showed no emotion as the jury returned its verdict.
Semple went to Brizzi’s flat in Southwark, south London, on 1 April after the pair made contact on Grindr and the police officer, who was supposed to be on duty, messaged Brizzi to say he was “free now for [a] hot dirty sleazy session”. DCS Peter Ayling said: “Fuelled by drugs, Stefano Brizzi murdered Gordon and then set about systemically disposing of his body, the detail of which is quite frankly distressing to read and hear.
The police officer’s partner, Gary Meeks, made more than 20 unanswered calls to Semple’s mobile phone on that evening and, when he failed to return home, reported him missing the next morning. “The investigation has evidenced the sickening lengths that he went to [to] dismember Gordon and dispose of his remains, not just in the immediate aftermath of the murder, but over the days that followed, and amounts to cannibalism.”
But Semple’s body was not discovered until 7 April when officers were called to Brizzi’s flat after neighbours complained about the smell. There they found human remains in the bath, which was filled with acid, as well as in plastic buckets on the bathroom floor. He said the officers who discovered their colleague’s body and those involved in the investigation had been affected by the traumatic nature of the case.
Brizzi initially confessed to deliberately killing Semple, telling police at the scene: “Satan told me to.” But he later changed his account, claiming it was an accident. Semple went to Brizzi’s flat in Southwark, south London, on 1 April after the pair made contact on gay dating app Grindr. The officer, who was supposed to be on duty, messaged Brizzi to say he was “free now for [a] hot, dirty, sleazy session”.
Malcolm McHaffie, the deputy chief crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service in London, said: “Stefano Brizzi is an evil and calculating man who intentionally killed Gordon Semple and then made gruesome attempts to dispose of his body. Both men regularly indulged in extreme sexual practices including domination, bondage and sexual asphyxiation, and used illegal drugs.
“He cynically lied to the court and the jury, claiming that Mr Semple’s tragic death was caused when a sex game went horribly wrong and that he had taken drugs which caused him to try to cover up the death. This was all fabricated by Brizzi to evade justice. That day, Brizzi was said to be tired and fractious because he had been engaged in heavy drug use, had not slept and had been let down by someone else on Grindr. He was also unhappy at Semple’s appearance, describing him as fat, ugly and unattractive.
“In taking steps to fully understand Brizzi’s lifestyle, we scrutinised many thousands of social media messages. Piecing together the events of that evening was equally challenging, bearing in mind the extreme lengths that Brizzi went to to remove traces of his crime and cover his tracks. Brizzi is believed to have killed the officer after the pair had sex. Four days later, he bought items including pincers, heavy-duty scissors, a putty knife, plastic buckets, carpet cleaner and a perforated metal sheet from a hardware store, using them to strip flesh from the corpse.
“However, built on the foundation of a strong police investigation, and detailed toxicology and pathology evidence, we put a very strong case before the court and Brizzi has now been brought to justice for his terrible crimes. We hope that the outcome provides some comfort to friends and family of Mr Semple.” Semple’s partner, Gary Meeks, made more than 20 unanswered calls to his mobile phone on 1 April and reported him missing the next morning after he failed to return home.
But Semple’s body was not discovered until 7 April, when officers were called to Brizzi’s flat after neighbours complained about the smell. They found human remains in the bath and in plastic buckets on the floor.
A pool of fat and grease was discovered inside Brizzi’s oven and the handle was bloodstained. Semple’s DNA was also recovered from the oven, a cooking pot and chopsticks found in the flat.
Brizzi, who answered the door to officers wearing pink underpants, initially confessed to deliberately killing Semple, telling police at the scene: “Satan told me to.” But he later changed his account, claiming it was an accident.
However, a pathologist concluded that while strangulation was a possible cause of death, it would have taken minutes, rather than the momentary slip of the leash described by Brizzi.
In a statement, Semple, who was based in the Westminster antisocial behaviour team, was described by his family as “a loyal and much loved long-term partner, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend to all.
“We were devastated when the news broke of Gordon’s murder and the circumstances, which are still incredibly hard to deal with. It is still insurmountably upsetting.”
Malcolm McHaffie, a deputy chief crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service in London, said: “Stefano Brizzi is an evil and calculating man who intentionally killed Gordon Semple and then made gruesome attempts to dispose of his body.”