A JURY has found a gay escort guilty of murdering a man in a central Chelmsford flat.

Michael Brennan, 23, of The Green, Melbourne, was found guilty of killing Paul Simons in Moulsham Street on May 4 at the conclusion of an eight day trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

During the eight day trial, the court heard Brennan carefully planned the death with knives and hammers kept in the flat.

Notes were also found written by Brennan, a cleaner at Broomfield Hospital who also worked as an escort for a website called Escort Guys, detailing his plan.

He wrote: "Hide in bedroom, stab heart, really hard, quick, hide in countryside."

A majority verdict of 10-2 was delivered by jurors and Brennan is due to be sentenced on Thursday.