A fake policeman who was filmed smothering a man in his own home in London has been found guilty of murder and arson.

Jason Marshall tied up the computer repairman Peter Fasoli four years ago in Northolt, Northwest London.

He then set fire to the bungalow to cover up the murder before fleeing to Italy where he murdered a man and tried to kill a third.

Marshall funded his travel with $1013 (€862) in cash and cards he stole from Mr Fasoli.

At the Old Bailey in London, 9 August, Marshall was found guilty.

The jury only took an hour to return a verdict.

He will receive a life sentence and will go to prison for at least 30 years.

‘Fantasist’ found guilty

Peter Fasoli who was 58, was murdered by the ‘fantasist’ at his London home in January 2013.

The 28-year-old bound and gagged his victim, using cling film to stop his victim from breathing.

Marshall was dressed as a fake police officer and pretended to be an MI5 agent.

For almost two years, Fasioli’s death was thought to be an accident.

It had been thought that the fire was sparked by a faulty light falling onto his bed.

Until his nephew found footage of the murder on the victim’s hard drive, sparking an investigation.

Prosecutor Edward Brown QC warned jurors that they would be asked to view the video in court. The graphic detail in the video showed the killing itself.

Prosecutor Brown said:

‘The fire was intended to hide a terrible crime. Peter Fasoli was killed intentionally.

‘He had been subjected to a calculated and determined attack by this defendant whom he invited into his home.’

The video, showed eight hours of footage in the flat, detailing Fasoli’s final hours.

Victim Peter Fasoli, 58, murdered by Jason Marshall.

Multiple victims

Marshall was using the dating app Badoo to find his victims.

After fleeing to Rome, Marshall murdered the 67-year-old Vincenzo Iale as well.

Jurors were told in the trial how Marshall strangled his second victim with an electrical flex at his flat in Rome.

A week after this, posing as ‘Gabriel’, Marshall arranged to meet Umberto Gismondi.

Gismondi, 54, invited Marshall to his flat in Rome. Continuing his pattern of false identities he pretended he worked at the British Embassy. This time he came with a holster, utility belt, pistol, pepper spray and truncheon.

Again, he bound, gagged and attacked Gismondi with the truncheon and pepper spray. This time demanding money and then smothered him with a cushion.

Fortunately, Gismondi was able to alert his neighbors. Marshall fleed but was later arrested.

Echoes of previous ‘gay serial killer’ police failures

Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell has linked the handling of the case to that of the gay serial killer Stephen Port.

Port met his victims on Grindr, before drugging with GHB and killing them.

Tatchell said:

‘This case has echoes of the serial killing of gay men by Stephen Port and of the way the police failed to investigate those killings properly.

‘Officers appear to have not checked Fasoli’s mobile phone, computer, bank transactions and the CCTV at his flat.

‘If they had done these checks, they would have quickly discovered suspicious evidence, including a computer file that recorded hours of torture and eventual murder.’

The human rights activists has called for an investigation:

‘I am urging the Independent Police Complaints Commission to mount an inquiry into the way the police handled the case and for the London fire authorities to also investigate the failings by the fire service. I am shocked that the IPCC has, so far, declined to do so.

‘This is yet another instance where a murdered gay man has been let down by the authorities.’