A ‘callous’ ex-boyfriend allegedly strangled his film producer former girlfriend and buried her body in a shallow grave within her own garden, a court heard.
Kirill Belorusov, 32, denies the murder of Laureline Garcia-Bertaux, 34, in Kew, south west London.

Police recovered Laureline Garcia-Bertaux’s body at her home in Kew, South West London, two days after she was last seen

Police found Laureline Garcia-Bertaux’s body at her home in Kew, South West London, two days after she was last seen.
Belorusov took her out to dinner and shopping under the pretext of helping her move out from her flat on Sunday March 3, jurors heard.
Officers found her naked body wrapped in bin bags on March 6 following reports from her concerned friends.
They were worried over messages he sent from her mobile phone, the Old Bailey was told.

Oliver Glasgow QC, prosecuting, said: “After carefully removing the earth they discovered that a body had been buried in the garden.
“Once her body was examined it became apparent that she had been strangled to death and buried in the garden at some point during the weekend that Kirill Belorusov had spent with her.”
Belorusov, who denies murder, had broken up with her months before and got in touch claiming he had found a new home for her and wanted to pay back money he owed her, the jury heard.
His DNA was found on a ligature tied around her neck after he was arrested in Estonia six days later and extradited back to the UK on March 20, the jury heard.

‘It is difficult to conceive of someone behaving in a more calculated or callous manner’ – Oliver Glasgow QC, Prosecutor

Murder suspect Kirill Belorusov [right], who had broken up with Garcia-Bertaux [left], months earlier lulled her when he contacted her claiming he had found a new home for her and wanted to pay back money he owed her

Cold and calculated was how prosecutors described killer in court: Laureline Garcia-Bertaux [photo], lived alone with her two dogs in Kew, London. Belorusov “expressed concern to friends when they contacted him to ask if he knew where she was; he sent messages to her phone begging her to get in contact with him; and he told everyone who got in touch with him that he would do all he could to help find her.” – Prosecutors

Glasgow added: “Kirill Belorusov tricked Laureline Garcia-Bertaux into believing that he was going to help her, he deceived her with promises of settling his debt to her, and he lied to her about the house he had found that she could move into.
It was only inevitable that Laureline Garcia-Bertaux would get suspicious about what was going on; after all, she had only been given very limited details about the property and no removal struck ever turned up.
“Quite how Kirill Belorusov thought he was going to play out this charade remains to be seen but clearly at some point he decided to kill Laureline Garcia-Bertaux.
“Having killed her he did all he could to get away with murder: he buried her body in the garden in order that he could leave the country before she was found; he sent messages to her friends in order that they might believe she was alive and well.
“He expressed concern to those same friends when they contacted him to ask if he knew where she was; he sent messages to her phone begging her to get in contact with him; and he told everyone who got in touch with him that he would do all he could to help find her.
“It is difficult to conceive of someone behaving in a more calculated or callous manner.
“The defendant denies playing any part in her death and insists when he last saw her she was alive and well.”

Belorosov appeared in the dock in a grey prison t-shirt, clean-shaven with a completely shaven head.

Laureline’s mum Frederique Bertaux, arrives at the Old Bailey to hear the case of 

Garcia-Bertaux was originally from Aix-en-Provence in France. As well as working as a personal assistant in London, she was involved in film and had worked with Dame Joan Collins on a 2018 short called Gerry.
Her mother and father and other family members traveled from France to attend court.
The trial continues.