An Australian chef who was caught boiling his wife’s feet in his kitchen, killed her after she threatened to expose him as a sex worker, an inquest has heard.

Markus Volke murdered Mayang Prasetyo, a transgender sex worker, before dismembering her body and boiling it on the kitchen stove in an attempt to hide the evidence.

Brisbane Couriers Court heard that the pair treated their marriage as a “business transaction”. Ms Prasetyo agreed to help Volke pay off heavy debts in exchange for help with an Australian visa, according to the The Courier Mail newspaper.

The chef had been working as an escort to pay off his debts when the couple met in 2013, a secret that he had kept from his family, who were also unaware of his marriage, the court heard.

There was evidence that Ms Prasetyo had threatened to expose him, the newspaper reported.

Neighbour said the pair had a volatile relationship and they heard screaming coming from their apartment on 2 and 3 October 2014. Volke is thought to have killed her after the second row.

Police do not believe the murder was pre-meditated.

Police were alerted to the murder after Volke called out an electrician to fix his stove after a stock pot boiled over and caused the power to cut out. He had been boiling his wife’s feet at the time.

Marcus Volke

When the electrician arrived at the apartment he was told to excuse the smell, which had been described during the inquest as being like “dog food”.

However, the electrician saw the rubber gloves and bleach Volke had recently bought, along with blood on the floor. After he informed the building manager about them, the police were called.

Marcus Volke (Facebook)

When officers arrived at the apartment, Volke claimed he needed to tie up his dogs before the officers entered and instead closed and locked the door.

He left the apartment through an alternative exit. Police found his body shortly afterwards in an industrial rubbish bin nearby, the Brisbane Times reported.

He died from self-inflicted wounds to his neck and wrists.

Returning to his apartment, officers believed they had walked in on a Halloween prank when they discovered Ms Prasetyo’s feet in the pot in the kitchen, the inquest heard.

There were pools of blood on the floor near the fridge and Ms Prasetyo’s body parts were discovered in a garbage bag in the washing machine.