The Borough flat where a policeman was brutally murdered and dismembered will be refurbished and re-let, the News understands.
Deranged Stefano Brizzi, 50, murdered PC Gordon Semple at his flat on the Peabody Trust Estate, in Southwark Street, after arranging to meet him for sex in April last year.
The killer, who worked as a web developer for merchant bank Morgan Stanley, had met the 59-year-old victim through the gay dating app Grindr.
He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 24 years in December and now the flat where the horrific events unfolded will be completely refurbished and re-let, the News understands.
Rui Simoes, who has lived on the estate for 10 years, told the News that residents were left in complete shock after they found out what had taken place.
“It’s usually very quiet round here,” said the 52-year-old. “I was home when the police came and they closed both entrances to the estate.
“There were ambulances everywhere and the forensic guys in white suits so it was quite a shock when we found out what had happened and heard the story.
“You’re used to seeing those things in the movies but you don’t expect it to happen right on your doorstep so it’s always a bit hard to swallow.”
Mr Simoes said that, although he was in shock for some time after finding out about the murder, he thought it would be a good idea to re-let the flat.
Italian-born web developer Brizzi, dubbed a ‘Jekyll and Hyde character’ by the Italian press, is said to have moved to the UK in 2010 in search of acceptance after struggling to reconcile his homosexuality with his family’s Catholic faith.
He is believed to have landed a £70,000-a-year job at financial giant Morgan Stanley in 2012 – but quit a year before the fateful incident because he was struggling with a crystal meth addiction.
He pleaded guilty to obstructing a coroner by trying to dispose of PC Semple’s body but denied murder.