The man who murdered a Scottish police officer and dissolved his body in an acid bath has been found dead in his prison cell.

Stefano Brizzi killed Inverness-born Gordon Semple after meeting him through the gay dating app Grindr.

During his trial he admitted trying to dispose of the 59-year-old's body in a bath of acid, a scheme apparently inspired by the cult US TV show Breaking Bad.

Brizzi, 50, denied murder but was found guilty and jailed for a minimum of 24 years.

He was found dead in his cell at HMP Belmarsh in south east London on Sunday.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "HMP Belmarsh prisoner Stefano Brizzi died in custody on Sunday.

"As with all deaths in custody there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman."

Brizzi claimed Mr Semple had died during a "sex game gone wrong" at his home on the Peabody Estate in south London.

He said Mr Semple was accidentally strangled when a leash around his neck slipped.

However, after six days of deliberations, a jury at the Old Bailey in London found him guilty of killing the police officer.

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

Brizzi said he had been high on drugs at the time and panicked after discovering the officer was dead.

But a pathologist cast doubt on his claims, saying it would have taken minutes for Mr Semple to die.

Brizzi's defence lawyer told the court: "Just as Gordon Semple was a good man, Mr Brizzi is a middle-aged, intelligent, urbane, interested linguist, a highly-skilled professional.

"He is not a monster. He is a human being, like you or I."