A TEENAGER "wove a web of deceit" that ended in a perfectly innocent man being accused of murder.

Kieran Wood was accused by 18-year-old Priscilla Scamp of killing a man who lay dead in his Grays home for over a month.

A jury at Chelmsford Crown Court heard on Wednesday how Daniel Thomas, 59, had his throat slashed and was stabbed up to 20 times with some of the wounds up to ten centimetres deep.

Prosecuting David Holborn said: told the jury: "From the start she wove a web of deceit and lies.

"She blamed the poor and unfortunate Mr Wood for the killing and claimed it was nothing to do with her.”

A bloody footprint was also found and police later linked this to Scamp.

The blade of a knife used to slit the throat of Mr Thomas was also found at the scene in Darnley Road, Grays.

Medical experts examined the blade that had been snapped from the handle and they said extreme force must have been used to break it.

The jury of seven men and five women heard how Scamp was allegedly having a sexual relationship with Mr Thomas - known as Dave - in return for money.

He was last seen alive at the Natwest Bank in Grays high street on April 12 last year on CCTV at around lunchtime.

Over the next few days and weeks, his neighbour John Ashdown noticed there was no lights or noise coming from the flat and he had not seen Mr Thomas.

Later on, he called police after he noticed an "unpleasant smell and flies" coming from the flat.

Prosecutor David Holborn told the court how police and council workers broke in and found his decomposing body containing maggots lying on his back.

The prosecution has alleged the murder took place between April 13 and 14, but the body was not discovered until the following month on Sunday, May 16.

Scamp from Centurion Way, Purfleet, was arrested later and the prosecution has alleged she told a stream of lies and tried to blame Mr Wood for the murder.

But Mr Holborn said Mr Wood was "completely innocent" and had nothing to do with the death.

Scamp declined to answer police questions but made a series of six written statements to officers.

She claimed the murder was nothing to do with her but claimed she had discovered the body.

She said she had burned her clothes because she was scared police might think she was responsible.

Scamp also produced letters which the prosecution has alleged she forged to make it look like she was being forced to take the blame for the killing.

The trial also heard how police recovered one of Scamp's shoes from a bag she had given a friend and it matched the bloody footprint found at the home of Mr Thomas.

Scamp later changed her story and said she had acted in self defence after Mr Thomas had tried to rape her.

The trial continues.