'Blood traces' in accused's flat

The bodies of Bonne Barrett, 24 and Xiao Mei Guo, 29, have never been found

Traces of blood from two missing women were found at the home of a loner accused of their murder, jurors heard.

Derek Brown, 47, lured the young mothers to his flat in Rotherhithe, east London, and killed them, the Old Bailey was told.

He allegedly targeted the women because they lived on the fringes of society and he believed no-one would look for them.

The delivery driver, originally from Preston, Lancashire, denies murder.

Bonnie Barrett, 24, and Xiao Mei Guo, 29, went missing within half a mile of each other in the Whitechapel area of east London. Their bodies have never been found.

The court heard blood spots and smears were found on the walls and ceiling of the bedroom and there appeared to have been attempts to clean them off.

It sounded as if someone was hurting this woman and the sound continued for two to three minutes Brian Altman, QC, prosecuting

Blood traces, some still visible, were also found in the bathroom, in the living room on the wall behind the sofa, and all of the doors within the flat.

"Traces of blood were found from which DNA profiles matching the DNA profiles of both these missing women were obtained," said Brian Altman, QC, for the prosecution.

Illegal immigrant Ms Xiao, from China, was last seen selling DVDs in Whitechapel market and CCTV pictures showed her with Mr Brown by Whitechapel Tube station.

A cleaner mopping the top floor of the building where Mr Brown lived heard a woman's screams coming from his flat on the day Ms Xiao disappeared, the court heard.

"It sounded as if someone was hurting this woman and the sound continued for two to three minutes," Mr Altman said.

Receipts found

The man spoke to another cleaner and they decided to report it to the building supervisor but he said he "didn't get involved in such things" and left it.

Miss Barrett, a prostitute and crack addict who had a six-year-old son, disappeared from the same area on 18 September.

During searches of Mr Brown's flat, police found three B&Q receipts for items including paint, heavy duty gloves, cleaning materials, masking tape and a bow saw.

The trial continues.