Man ‘told elaborate lies on debt collector’s knife killing’

A MAN stabbed a debt collector to death when she called at his home and claimed a mystery man did it before vanishing, a court heard.

Geoffrey Hutton, 38, allegedly knifed Tina Cantello 30 times in a frenzied attack.

He claims her killer was a stranger he discovered in his house who had then forced him to drag her body upstairs, jurors were told.

Provident Financial worker Tina, 49, was found in a bedroom at his Basildon home stripped to her bra. Opening the case, prosecutor Simon Spence QC said Tina had vanished in June. The court heard a neighbour saw an unfamiliar Mini Cooper parked near Hutton’s home the day after and called police after seeing the family’s Facebook appeal.

Officers found the defendant covered in blood and Mr Spence said he called out: “I need your help. She came so I could give her money and then another man killed her.”

Hutton told detectives he could not get help during the attack because his phone had died and he could not find a charger. But 20 minutes after Tina arrived, Hutton went out to score £75 of cocaine, Mr Spence told jurors.

Forensics officers found a T-shirt Hutton admitted he was wearing on the night of the killing, covered in her blood.

Mr Spence said: “The defendant told a series of elaborate lies in interview in an effort to avoid his responsibility for what he had done.”

Hutton denies murder. The Snaresbrook crown court trial continues.