A man who murdered a Scots police officer and tried to dispose of his body in an acid bath has been jailed for life with a minimum of 24 years.

Stefano Brizzi killed Inverness-born police officer Gordon Semple after meeting him on gay dating app Grindr.

He was found guilty of murdering Mr Semple after a trial at the Old Bailey last month.

Brizzi returned to the court on Monday where he was sentenced to a minimum of 24 years in prison.

He had claimed the 59-year-old had died in a "sex game gone wrong" at his flat in south London.

Brizzi had admitted obstructing a coroner by trying to dispose of the Mr Semple's body in an acid bath, a scheme apparently inspired by the TV show Breaking Bad.

He had denied trying to cannibalise parts of Pc Semple by cooking and then biting into a rib found in his kitchen bin.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC handed crystal meth addict Brizzi life in prison with a minimum of 24 years.

Brizzi was also sentenced to seven years for obstructing a coroner, which will run concurrently.

The judge said there were "terrible features" of the case and that Brizzi's drug addiction had ruined his life.

He told the Italian: "Regret you express now for Mr Semple's death has to be seen against what you did over a number of days to his body."

The defendant sat in the dock with his head bowed throughout the hearing.

Brizzi claimed Mr Semple was accidentally strangled when a leash around his neck slipped.

The 50-year-old met Mr Semple at his flat on April 1 and invited other men to join them for sex.

Mr Semple was reported missing on April 2, and officers were called to the Brizzi's home five days later after neighbours reported a foul smell coming from his flat.

He later told the officers: "I tried to dissolve the body. I've killed a police officer. Satan told me to."

Brizzi was charged with murder and his trial began on October 18.

The court heard graphic details of what Brizzi described as a dangerous sex game and of his attempts to dismember and dispose of the police officer's body.

Some of Mr Semple's remains were disposed of near the River Thames.

Brizzi's defence lawyer Sallie Bennett-Jenkins previously told the court that the killer was "not a monster".

Afterwards, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London Baljit Ubhey said: "Stefano Brizzi learned today that he will remain in prison for the next 24 years for the horrific crimes he committed.

"An evil and calculating man, Brizzi lied to the police and then to the court, claiming that Mr Semple's tragic death was caused when a sex game went horribly wrong.

"We know this will have been a very difficult time for the family and friends of Mr Semple. I hope the outcome today provides some comfort to them."

Paying tribute to how her team dealt with the "challenging" case, she said: "They had to sift through many thousands of social media messages and piece together the events of that evening, which was difficult bearing in mind the lengths that Brizzi went to to remove traces of his crime and cover his tracks."