Jigsaw killer Stephen Marshall 'skilled at butchering human corpses'

He spent thousands of pounds on prostitutes and took large amounts of drugs but was also a popular man who helped people out, his friend Andrew Sangers said.

But as his trial for murder unfolded, a picture emerged of an aggressive and domineering bully who threatened both men and women with violence when they stood in his way.

And the butchery he performed on Jeffrey Howe was nothing new to him.

The tall and hefty 38-year-old from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, had connections to a criminal underworld and used to boast of his ability to butcher a human corpse, one witness said.

He became skilled at this gruesome act through the work he did for a criminal family in London, the "Adams" family, St Albans Crown Court heard.

His role was to cut up bodies and dispose of them in plastic bags which he then buried, he allegedly told the female witness, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The court heard how he used a meat cleaver, large meat knives and sometimes even a chainsaw or a hacksaw to perform this lengthy and laborious task.

He said he sometimes incinerated the bodies and vividly described the smell of burning human flesh, the witness said.

When he was not butchering human corpses, Marshall enjoyed watching bare-knuckle fights and lifting weights, the court heard.

But he also had legitimate jobs, owning a gym, running a car-valeting company and working in kitchen sales.

It was during his employment in the kitchen sales business that he met his victim. Mr Howe looked up to Marshall and the two of them went drinking together on occasions.

When Marshall needed a place to stay in late 2008, Mr Howe said he could stay at his flat.

But when Mr Howe became unhappy with the arrangement, Marshall refused to leave. He and his girlfriend Sarah Bush were staying in the flat but paying no rent and eating their host's food.

Marshall wanted to get rid of Mr Howe altogether, and hatched a plan to hide his "disappearance" while making use of his money and property.

It was carried out on March 8 or 9 last year when Marshall stabbed Mr Howe to death and dismembered him in his own home.

Once his friend was dead, Marshall began helping himself to money from his victim's bank account and sold his car on eBay. Some of his victim's money was spent on cocaine, the court heard.

Meanwhile he spun a web of lies to the police when they came looking for Mr Howe after he was reported missing.

Marshall told them his host had simply packed and gone - although it is thought that as he said this he was in fact storing Mr Howe's dismembered body before disposing of it.

After his arrest, he tried to claim Bush was responsible for the murder before eventually admitting to everything, three weeks into his trial.