Kellie Telesford

Kellie Telesford was a transgender woman who was killed in her flat at 81 Leander Road, Thornton Heath.

She was strangled with her own scarf on 18 November 2007 and discovered in her dressing gown and underwear three days later on 21 November 2007.

Police were alerted to her disappearance by friends who could not get in touch with her on her phone and found her flat locked up.

When police broke in to the flat they saw her lying on the floor on the left side of the bed and a bay window, covered by a white throw. The body including the head was entirely covered except for two feet protruding and a right-hand outstretched. There was blood round the inside of her mouth and a brown fur scarf was seemingly wrapped twice round her neck and the ends plaited together. The flat appeared to look as if it had been searched there were bags around the body and a number of items on the bed including boxes.'

A man was tried for her murder but acquitted. He had been seen with her on the night of 17 November at Norbury train station where he had met her for a date before going to her home. He was later see leaving the area she lived in using her Oyster card to get on a bus at 6.15am whilst carrying a large bag.

He had met her earlier outside the beauty salon where she worked. He had a girlfriend at the time but she was away with their baby visiting her family. Kellie Telesford had told some of her work colleagues at the salon that she had met a handsome light skinned guy and that they had agreed to meet on the evening of 17 November 2007.

Kellie Telesford was last seen in the CCTV footage wearing her distinctive white tracksuit trousers, blue and white crop top and black coat.

When he was first questioned after being arrested on 29 November 2007, he said that he had gone back to her flat to watch a DVD after which she had given him oral sex and that he had then left at 10pm. However, when he was shown the CCTV evidence he admitted leaving her flat at 6am and stealing her Oyster card as well as her DVD player, mobile phone and digi-box. He had sold the DVD player and digi-box at a local Cash Exchange shop for £10. He also gave Kellie Telesford's mobile phone to his girlfriend when he got home at 9am after having used it several times himself.

The prosecution said that he had killed her when he found out that she was a male. However, he said that didn't know that she was male and only found out when the police interviewed him.

Kellie Telesford was last heard from at 3am on 18 November 2007 when she spoke to a friend who said she seemed fine.

He said that when he had left her she was alive and well.

His barrister suggested that Kellie Telesford might have died later during kinky sex with another man or even inflicted the fatal injury herself. His defence also said that there were no signs that Kellie Telesford had fought with the man even though she had the strength of a man, noting that of her false nails had not been broken or damaged through a struggle. He also said that the way her body was found lying did not suggest that an aggressive act had taken place. His defence also said that Kellie Telesford had a habit of taking men to her flat and engaging in intimacy and that she was quite good at concealing her gender from them.

Kellie Telesford worked as a florist and a beautician.

Police said that she frequented popular gay and lesbian nightspots in the Croydon and Brixton areas.

Kellie Telesford was a Pre-op transsexual from Trinidad and born as Kayiode Dexter Telesford.