A man accused of smothering a computer repairman in his own home then setting fire to it has told jurors he had no memory of what happened but felt “very bad that somebody died”.
Jason Marshall, of Monega Road, East Ham, pretended he was a policeman when he allegedly attacked Peter Fasoli in January 2013, and stole hundreds of pounds before the one-bedroom bungalow in Northolt, north-west London, was set alight.
Jurors at the Old Bailey have seen disturbing video recorded on Mr Fasoli’s computer, showing how Marshall, 28, allegedly tied up, gagged and smothered his victim with cling film, after meeting him on the Badoo gay dating website.
For nearly two years, 58-year-old Mr Fasoli’s death was put down to an accident until his nephew stumbled across the footage of his violent death on his hard drive.
Marshall, who jurors were told had previously been convicted of murder and attempted murder in Italy, was sent back to Britain earlier this year and charged with Mr Fasoli’s murder.
Giving evidence, Marshall - who denies murdering Mr Fasoli - told jurors he had no memory of the events in Italy or meeting Mr Fasoli, although he accepted the man in the video was “without doubt” him.
He said: “Seeing the footage, I feel bad that somebody died and it could potentially be me.
“If somebody died at my hands it’s difficult to deal with mentally.”
Marshall told jurors he had a troubled upbringing by heroin addict parents. He had spent time in care, been sectioned in 2008 and spent time in prison in 2011.
He worked briefly at a jeweller’s in Hatton Garden and as a street cleaner for the London Olympics before making money as a gay escort advertising S&M services on websites such as Grindr.
At the age of 17, Marshall said he believed he was an “alien from another planet” and an “archangel” when he tried to jump off the car park at Stratford shopping centre.
Marshall also said he was arrested “many, many times” for impersonating a police officer with a fake warrant card he made on his computer.
He said he had walked into police stations in Southwark and Kentish Town and signed out radios and also dressed up as a ticket inspector and air cadet.
Asked why he did it, he said he did not like his “personal image” and liked the “respect” the uniform gave him.
The trial continues.
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