Stefano Brizzi: Cannibal killer who died in prison had 'ruined his life through drug addiction', inquest hears

Stefano Brizzi died aged 50 in Belmarsh prison last year
Met Police
John Dunne @jhdunne23 April 2018

A murderer who ate part of his victim’s body and then died in prison felt he had "ruined his life through drug addiction" an inquest heard today.

Stefano Brizzi died aged 50 in Belmarsh prison on February 5 last year, a hearing at Southwark Coroners' Court heard today.

Two months earlier he had been jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years for the murder of PC Gordon Semple, who served in the Metropolitan police for 30 years.

The murder took place at the Italian's Southwark flat on April 1 2016.

Coroner Dr Julian Morris today told a jury they would be asked to consider Brizzi's psychological state and the way he was monitored in prison before his death.

Victim: Gordon Semple
Metropolitan Police

Dr Rachel Daly, a consultant forensic psychiatrist who saw him at Belmarsh said: "He said he was born in Florence the youngest of three children. He had found family life difficult. He was estranged (from his family) because he was a homosexual and HIV positive.

“He had lost his job with Morgan Stanley due to the severity of his drug addiction. He had a good insight he said his life had been ruined by his drug addiction after coming to London. There was no evidence he was depressed or psychotic."

Psychiatrist Rachel Daly said he blamed crystal method addiction for him landing in prison as a category A murderer.

She said: "He saw it as addiction to crystal meth that was the big issue for him coming into the prison system."

Stefano Brizzi is said to have "ruined his life through drug addiction" 
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The document listed his addiction to a string of drugs including crystal meth.

As he was not considered a "vulnerable prisoner" he would be able to use prison facilities including the gym and chapel, the prison Belmarsh governor Stuart Lawson told the inquest.

Asked if Mr Brizzi had reported he had been bullied or felt vulnerable on entering prison the governor told the jury. "No he didn't".

HMP Belmarsh governor Stuart Lawson told the court the prison regularly assessed prisoners' mental and physical health.

He said Brizzi, like other prisoners, had been been interviewed on his arrival in prison.

He said: "In his interview he said he did not feel vulnerable."

The Italian had two degrees, in philosophy and language, and had worked as a web designer until 2014 when he left his job because of ill health, the court heard.

Dr Andrew Harris, a senior coroner, said at a pre-inquest hearing Brizzi was found to have made a noose before he died and a note had been discovered “indicating he was thinking about death”.

The full inquest before a jury today seeks to determine the “management of information found in his cell indicating he was thinking about death”.

Brizzi, who was addicted to methamphetamine, was convicted of strangling the officer to death after luring him to his London flat for sex and drugs. After the murder, he dismembered the body and, inspired by a scene in the TV series Breaking Bad, dissolved it in acid in a bath.

Dr Matthew Cook, who interviewed Stefano Brizzi after a ligature had been found in his cell before his sentencing said the killer told him that he had taken his first drug, cannabis, aged 40 and then had descended into crystal meth addiction.

He told an inquest that despite the ligature being found in his cell Brizzi convinced him he was not seriously considering taking his own life.

He said: "I did not consider him suicidal."

On his life before the crime he said: "He told me he got into a group of men who were all HIV positive and used crystal meth."

The inquest, which is due to last five days, continues.

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