Delivery man 'disposed of bodies'

A delivery driver killed two women and disposed of their bodies as if they had "disappeared off the face of the earth", the Old Bailey has heard.

Derek Brown, 47, of Albion Street, Rotherhithe, south-east London, is accused of killing prostitute Bonnie Barrett and DVD seller Xiao Mei Guo.

Miss Xiao, 29, went to Mr Brown's flat last August while Miss Barrett, 24, visited his home in September.

Mr Brown denies murdering the women and disposing of their bodies.

Both were soft targets for the killer who thought that neither woman would be missed or whose disappearance would trigger a major police investigation Brian Altman, prosecuting

Miss Xiao, an illegal immigrant from China, who sold fake DVDs at Whitechapel market in east London, was last seen at Whitechapel Tube station on 29 August.

Miss Barrett, a drug addict, was also last seen in the same area on 18 September.

Both women, who were unconnected, have not been seen since, the court heard.

For the prosecution Brian Altman QC said: "Two young women disappeared from the East End of London and off the face of the earth."

Mr Altman accused Mr Brown of choosing the women as they were "soft targets" and said evidence linked him "inexorably" to the killings.

"He lured each woman to his flat where, following a murderous attack on each carried out on two occasions, he disposed of their bodies.

"Both lived on the edge of society and both were soft targets for the killer who thought that neither woman would be missed or whose disappearance would trigger a major police investigation," added Mr Altman.

'Heavy drinker'

Mr Brown, who has three children from a previous relationship, was a loner and a heavy drinker who sought the company of prostitutes, the jury was told.

He worked night shifts for a company distributing newspapers and magazines.

Miss Xiao, a mother of two boys, came to the UK with her husband in 2006 and went missing when her husband was in jail for selling counterfeit DVDs.

The court heard they had left their children with relatives in China and sent money home.

Miss Barrett, who had a six-year-old son, worked as a prostitute to pay for her addiction but had "motherly, maternal instincts".

The trial continues.