A phony policeman on trial for smothering a man during a bondage sex session murdered another man while on the run in Italy and attempted to kill a third, a court has heard.

Jason Marshall, aged 28, is on trial for the murder of 58-year-old computer repair man Peter Fasoli, who lived alone in a one-bed bungalow in Northolt.

Jurors at the Old Bailey were shown disturbing footage of Marshall allegedly tying up and gagging Mr Fasoli before smothering him with cling film during a bondage sex session at the house in January 2013.

The defendant, who had met Mr Fasoli through gay dating website Badoo and falsely claimed to be a policeman, then set fire to the house in a bid to destroy evidence, the court heard.

Marshall stole £780 cash from Mr Fasoli, and used his bank card to buy a ticket to Rome.

Pictures from Peter Fasoli's flat were shown to the jury

Less than three weeks after the Northolt incident, Marshall murdered Vincenzo Iale in his flat in Rome, prosecutor Edward Brown QC told the jury.

Italian prosecutors had discovered that Marshall had fled to Italy where he met with 67-year-old Badoo user Mr Iale, who was strangled with an electrical flex cable.

Mr Iale's car was also stolen and his bank cards used to make numerous withdrawals at ATM machines.

Less than a week later, east Londoner Marshall posed as "Grabriel" and arranged to meet Uberto Gismondi for sex through Badoo, the court heard.

Peter Fasoli inadvertently filmed his death, which was later discovered by his nephew

Marshall entered Mr Gismondi's flat carrying a pistol, utility belt, pepper spray and truncheon which he explained by telling the 54-year-old he worked at the British Embassy in Rome.

He then bound and gagged the older man before attacking him with the truncheon and pepper spray, demanding money and attempting to smother him with a cushion.

He fled the scene after Mr Gismondi managed to alert neighbours but was arrested shortly afterwards and convicted of Mr Iale's murder and the attempted murder of Mr Gismondi.

Prosecutors allege that Marshall started a fire to hide the evidence after killing Peter Fasoli. An inquest in 2013 had ruled it an accidental death

The Italian courts also found him guilty of stealing Mr Iale's car and wallet and possession of a truncheon, and using violence to get Mr Gismondi's bank cards and 400 Euro.

Mr Brown told jurors that British police liaised with Italian counterparts to arrange to return Marshall to the UK.

The defendant was flown back to Heathrow Airport in custody in February this year and arrested on suspicion of murder. He was charged the same day

Initially, after the fire, an inquest found Mr Fasoli's death to be "accidental" but his nephew later discovered the disturbing recording of his uncle's death on a hard drive.

Marshall, of East Ham, east London, denies murder of Mr Fasoli.

The trial continues.

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