A 21-YEAR-OLD Catford man has been found guilty of murdering a transsexual prostitute at her home.

Leon Fyle, of Laleham Road, was convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court today (Aug 9) of strangling 29-year-old Destiny Lauren.

The court heard that on November 5 last year, Fyle telephoned Destiny, before travelling across London to visit her for a sexual encounter at ms Lauren’s Kentish Town flat.

Once at the address, jurors heard Fyle had sex with his victim, before strangling her and fleeing with items of her jewellery, her mobile phone and £350 cash.

Following the attack, Fyle took a bus to Kings Cross where he went to a brothel and spent £250 of the stolen money on the services of two further sex workers.

Destiny's brother discovered her body soon after the attack and raised the alarm.

She was taken by ambulance to the Royal Free Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as manual and forcible compression to the neck.

Investigating officer, Detective Inspector Liz Baker of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command 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.

"Destiny was well known to many people in the Camden area and was regarded as a 'character' by those who knew her. She was close to her father and two brothers, who she contacted regularly, and she had a love for the finer things in life and appreciated beautiful things.

"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. She was found dead by her brother.

"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."

Fyle will be sentenced on September 17.