Acid bath accused Brizzi asked for shower as 'tub' was 'unusable'

A man accused of strangling a police officer and dissolving his body in a bath of acid asked police if he could shower after his arrest as his "tub" had been "unusable for days".

Stefano Brizzi broke down and sobbed with his head in his hands as footage of his interview with officers was played on the fourth day of his trial.

The alleged sadomasochist told the judge he was "okay" but that it was "hard" watching the video because he was under "enormous pressure".

Brizzi, 50, is accused of murdering PC Gordon Semple, 59, after inviting him round to have sex at his flat in south London via gay dating app Grindr.

The Old Bailey trial has heard he was trying to dissolve dismembered body parts in an acid bath when police called round to investigate complaints of a "revolting smell".

In the video, filmed after his arrest on 7 April, six days after PC Semple was allegedly killed, Brizzi was asked if he had taken any drugs in the previous 24 hours.

He replied: "Yes, I took crystal meth yesterday when I was thinking I should get rid of the corpse ... Four days have passed by and nobody had seen or said anything. I thought I was getting away with it.

"I had nearly finished but I took a shot, I was going to finish the job today.

"As you can see this man was a very big man and all I have left is two buckets."

Earlier, Brizzi had told officers he had HIV and Hepatitis C plus "cuts to my hands because of cutting the corpse".

He started using crystal meth in 2013, he said, and had seen a psychiatrist and psychologist who told him he was "just fine".

He went on: "The problem with that is that the psychologist says crystal meth causes psychosis.

"I was raised a Catholic, being gay was evil. And the devil. So I've been into Satan."

Brizzi told police he had taken crystal meth when a "very clear voice said you must kill, you must kill, you must kill".

After being reminded of his legal rights, he said that was the "truth" and could be used as evidence.

Brizzi denies murder but has admitted obstructing a coroner by disposing of PC Semple's body.

The trial continues.