A man accused of strangling a Brighton prostitute told police he couldn’t be guilty as he is Scottish, a court heard today.

Neil McMillan, 42, appeared subdued and unlike his normal self in the hours after he allegedly murdered her.

He had arranged to pay 29-year-old escort Andrea Waddell £140 for an hour at her one-bedroom flat in Brighton, East Sussex.

He had spent the earlier part of the evening trawling pornography and escort websites on his laptop computer in a pub while consuming seven pints of beer, jurors were told.

Lewes Crown Court heard that he visited the Adult Works website where Ms Waddell - who had a Master's degree in social and political thought - had four different profiles advertising her services.

Within an hour of visiting her flat in Upper Lewes Road, McMillan, a satellite installer, is alleged to have strangled her before setting her alight.

McMillan, of Bennett Road, Brighton, denies murdering Ms Waddell on October 15 last year.

Prosecutor Simon Russell Flint QC said that when McMillan returned to his rented room after visiting her, his landlord noticed a change in his demeanour.

He said McMillan appeared "pale faced compared to his usual ruddy look" and that he was quiet and "didn't appear to be his normal self".

"You have to wonder why that may be," Mr Russell Flint told jurors.

McMillan stripped off his clothes and asked his landlord if he could use the washing machine, saying he needed some clothes for work the following day.

In addition, he showered for the second time that evening and removed the laces from the boots he had worn to Ms Waddell's flat that evening.

The following day colleagues also noticed a change in his character, the court heard. Mr Russell Flint said: "When Mr McMillan went to work, colleagues noticed he wasn't his usual self, he seemed subdued and quiet."

Police were brought into investigate after neighbours heard a smoke alarm sounding and firefighters discovered Ms Waddell's body in her burnt-out flat allegedly committed by McMillan.

McMillan asked to speak to two officers in their car and he was later arrested.

In custody, he denied being responsible for her killing, telling officers: "I'm in my 40s and I'm Scottish and I didn't do it."

Mr Russell Flint outlined Ms Waddell's transgender background, detailing how she was born on June 18, 1980 as Alexander Waddell.

He said: "When she was aged 24, after many years of wanting to live as a woman, having received extensive psychological and psychiatric therapy, Andrea received male to female reassignment surgery."

Ms Waddell had first shown an interest in the transgender community during her gap year.

She had travelled to Prague to teach English and became involved in the transgender scene there, Mr Russell Flint said.

When she returned to England she studied at Durham University and it was while there that she made the decision to become Andrea and change her name by deed poll.

After graduating, she successfully enrolled on to Master's degree course at the University of Sussex, studying social and political thought.

Following her gender realignment surgery, she had to have emergency surgery for severe ulcerative colitis and in addition suffered from fibromyalgia, which causes painful muscles, abdominal problems, sleeplessness and depression.

Mr Russell Flint said that after completing her Master's degree, she started holistic therapy.

"Being keen and eager to learn, the temptation of extra work by providing extra services seems to have seen her move into the world of a sex worker," he said.