Man Guilty Of 'NI' Transsexual's Murder

A man has been found guilty of killing a London transsexual sex worker who had family links to Belfast.

Leon Fyle, 21, of Laleham Road, Lewisham, was found guilty of the murder of Destiny Lauren at her home in Leighton Crescent on November 5 last year.

This is the latest tragedy for the family as Ms Lauren was the niece of Guildford Four member Paul Hill. Her mother, Belfast-born Elizabeth Hill, previously committed suicide in November 2005.

Snaresbrook Crown Court was yesterday told that Ms Lauren, who was born Justin Samuels, was found collapsed at her home and was taken to the Royal Free Hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. A post mortem revealed that the 29-year-old had been strangled.

The court heard how Fyle had telephoned Ms Lauren before travelling across London "for the purposes of a sexual encounter".

However, once he arrived, Fyle had sex with her, before strangling her and fleeing the scene with items of her jewellery, her mobile phone and £350 in cash.

Fyle, who had denied murder, then took a bus to Kings Cross and went to a brothel where he spent £250 of the stolen money on the services of another two sex workers.

He was arrested on November 7 and charged with Destiny's murder five days later.

Following the verdict, Detective Inspector Liz Baker said: "The murder of Destiny Lauren was brutal and pre-meditated. Destiny lived alone in her flat in Kentish Town. She had a troubled history and had suffered depression following the death of her mother, but was trying to turn her life around.

"Her life was abruptly ended when she met Leon Fyle, a young man she had never met before, who murdered and robbed her in her own home.

"Fyle has not shown one shred of remorse for this callous act, nor for the suffering he has inflicted on Destiny's family and friends. I hope today's verdict can go some way to ease their pain," she said, Fyle is due to be sentenced on September 17.

Elizabeth and Paul Hill - brother and sister - were raised in Belfast, but later moved to London.

Elizabeth married and had four sons, including Justin who grew up to be the murder victim, Destiny.

Paul Hill and three others were convicted and imprisoned for an IRA bombing in Guilford and Elizabeth Hill was also questioned and held at the police station for a week.

Their convictions were overturned on appeal in that they were based on confessions extracted by torture, and evidence of innocence had been held back by the police.

(KMcA/BMcC)