Former escort denies bondage murder
A MAN charged with murder has admitted attacking and smothering the 58-year-old victim while he was tied up and naked on his bed but denies he killed him.
Jason Marshall, a 28-year-old male escort denies murder.
He told the jury at the Old Bailey that he was attempting to terrify computer repairman Peter Fasoli “with the prospect of torture” as well as admitting that he got “some form of pleasure” from his sadomasochistic role play as a fake policeman.
Mr Fasoli died in January 13 at his one-bedroom bungalow in Northolt.
The court heard how Marshall met Mr Fasoli through gay dating site Badoo, before tying him up, gagging him, smothering him and setting fire to his home to cover his tracks.
The bondage murder trial came about two and a half years after Mr Fasoli’s death was ruled to be accidental by an inquest after the victim’s nephew discovered a video Mr Fasoli had inadvertently recorded of his final moments.
Extracts of the CCTV footage were shown to the Old Bailey on Tuesday August 7, in which Marshall pretended to be a policeman and MI5 agent, threatening a naked and tied up Mr Fasoli with a large hunting knife.
Marshall was heard to say “I’m ready to torture you at the next opportunity you give me” if Mr Fasoli did not hand over his PIN numbers.
Three references to torture were made by Marshall, prompting the judge, Nicholas Hilliard QC, to ask “Looking at it now, do you think you were trying to terrify him?”.
“Yes, my lord, with the prospect of torture,” Marshall replied.
Prosecutor Edward Brown QC pointed out that Marshall even put the knife to Mr Fasoli’s tongue and throat, saying Marshall must have been determined to get the PIN numbers, to which Marshall responded: “It seems so”.
“That must have been terrifying for that man,” Mr Brown continued.
To which Marshall replied: “I have no idea.” The court was then shown footage of Marshall returning from a cash machine having withdrawn a total of £780 from Mr Fasoli’s account.
The prosecutor went on to say Marshall, who used to advertise his services on apps like Grindr, knew about Mr Fasoli’s heart condition but still attacked and smothered him. The prosecutor said: “You attacked him and smothered him, didn’t you?” “Yes” Marshall replied. The defendant went on to tell the court that “at this point” there was no sexual element to the encounter.
“From my point of view, it was just for the money. It was a well-paid venture,” he said.
“Did you get sexual pleasure pretending to be a police officer while they are naked?” the judge quizzed.
“I wouldn’t say sexual pleasure. Pleasure of some form,” said Marshall, who was convicted in Italian courts of the murder of 67-year-old Vincenzo Iale in Rome just three weeks after Mr Fasoli’s death.
He was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Umberto Gismondi, aged 54 in Rome, in similar circumstances.
Marshall, of East Ham, denies murder and the trial continues.