A violent fantasist who terrorised a vulnerable gay man in his own home was on Wednesday found guilty of murder amid criticism that police missed opportunities to catch him before he went on to kill again.



Jason Marshall met 58-year-old Peter Fasoli on a dating app before visiting his home dressed as a police officer, gagging him and suffocating him with cling film.

The 28-year-old then set the flat on fire in order to cover his tracks. Fasoli’s death was recorded as an accident for nearly two years until his nephew found footage of his murder – recorded on CCTV – on his uncle’s computer hard drive.

By that time Marshall, who had used Fasoli’s bank cards to pay for a flight to Rome, had murdered a second man and attempted to kill a third.

Jurors heard how the defendant from East Ham in London enjoyed dressing up as officials and had been arrested many times for impersonating police officers.

Marshall, who had also dressed up as a ticket inspector and an air cadet, did not like his personal image and enjoyed the respect a uniform afforded him, the jury was told.

He was already serving a 16-year sentence for attacks in Italy, including strangling a man with an electrical flex, when he was sent back to Britain earlier this year and charged with killing Fasoli. He was found guilty of murder and arson following a trial at the Old Bailey.



Questions have now been raised as to why the original investigation failed to spot that Fasoli’s bank cards were used after his death, or that the murder of the computer repair man had been caught on CCTV.

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell likened the case to that of gay serial killer Stephen Port and said he was “shocked and surprised” the Independent Police Complaints Commission was not investigating.

He said: “There appears to have been missed opportunities and serious failings of the police investigation. Why did they not check the victim’s mobile phone, computer, bank transactions and CCTV?”

He added: “Yet again we are hearing about the horrific killing of a gay man where the police seem to have not followed quite basic investigative procedures.

“This case is another example of an isolated, vulnerable gay man being targeted by a predator using gay dating apps.”

The trial heard how former male escort Marshall stalked victims on the gay dating website Badoo.

On the evening of 6 January 2013 he went to Fasoli’s flat in Northolt, west London, on the pretext of bondage sex, dressed as a police officer complete with handcuffs, utility belt, holster and latex gloves.

Once inside he “arrested” Fasoli “for being a spy”, and threatened to cut his tongue with a large hunting knife in order to compel Fasoli to reveal his pin numbers. He also stole £780 in cash.

Jurors were shown harrowing footage of the victim bound naked on his bed, begging for his life and complaining he could not breathe as Marshall wound cling film around his head.

The original investigation into Fasoli’s death concluded he died accidentally from smoke inhalation and the blaze was probably caused by a light bulb above his bed, although the court heard it had been switched off.

After the footage of the killing emerged, a pathologist found that asphyxiation also contributed to Fasoli’s death, and that he was still alive but unconscious when the fire started.

While in Italy Marshall strangled Vincenzo Iale, 67, at his home in Rome before making off with his bank card and car on 26 January 2013.

A week later, Marshall – posing as “Gabriel” – contacted Umberto Gismondi on Badoo arranging to meet him for sex.

When the 54-year-old invited him to his flat, Marshall posed as a British embassy official and tied him up before attacking him with a truncheon and pepper spray. He then attempted to smother him with a cushion.

Marshall fled after being disturbed by neighbours after Gismondi raised the alarm, but was arrested hours later.

In July 2014, he was convicted by an Italian court of Iale’s murder and also found guilty of the attempted murder of Gismondi.

At his Italian trial, the defendant claimed someone else killed Iale and that Gismondi had attacked him.

However, he told his Old Bailey trial that was a lie, and claimed to have suffered from amnesia the whole time.

Under cross-examination, he admitted he got pleasure from dominating naked men while pretending to be a police officer, although S&M sex was just “a well-paid venture”.

Asked by Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC if he had been trying to “terrify” Fasoli, he said: “Yes, my lord, with the prospect of torture.”

Before being remanded in custody, Marshall looked blank as Hilliard suggested he could be sentenced to a minimum of 30 years, if it was decided the murder was sadistic and for gain.